What Doesn't Kill You
by Zbluez
Summary: ...Oh wait, it did. Semi-SI.
1. Unnatural

_A.N: There will be action. There will be badassery. There will be doubt and cruelty, but also change and progress and hope._

_Inspired by the great SIs out there. Vapors, Dreaming of Sunshine, Deja Vu no Jutsu, etc._

_Cross-posted in _

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter One

_[_**_Unnatural:_**_ 1\. Contrary to the laws or course of nature. 2. Lacking human qualities or sympathies; monstrous, inhuman.]_

* * *

Aoi Momoru was unnatural, verging on disturbing.

When asked about her, her parents wouldn't say much. Oh, she was a quiet baby. And, well, she ate. She slept a lot, even for a baby. The father's eyes would stray away after a while and he'd switch the topic of conversation to something else, probably work-related. It was obvious that he didn't really care about his daughter, though no one commented on it. How he chose to raise his children was his business.

The mother, Nana Momoru, wouldn't add anything interesting. The way her eyes shifted was stranger than the father's; almost like one would look away from an uncomfortable topic, rather than a boring one. Why she would be reluctant to discuss her own daughter was anyone's guess, and if asked directly she would smile and agree that Aoi was perfectly adorable, and did you hear that the Onasu had a new dog? The more curious relatives had found that indeed, the baby was normal. She gurgled and reached and crossed her eyes in that funny way babies had, and was generally adorable and cute.

But when no one was around, the gurgles ceased abruptly and Aoi turned serious, yellow eyes sharp and intense, almost burning as they darted around her surroundings. The expression was frightening on the babyish features. No baby was supposed to look at the world with such awareness.

Nana, like everyone else, didn't notice at first. Until a month after the birth, when she walked into the room where she'd left her for a moment and caught a glimpse of that look. Aoi quickly dissolved into a smile and made reaching motions with her hands, and Nana thought that perhaps she'd imagined it.

But no – because as she watched her daughter more closely, she realized that the high-pitched gurgles tended to decrease in enthusiasm when their relatives fussed over her for extended periods of time and were replaced by flashes of that other expression. It was as if the attention bored or annoyed Aoi. And worst of all, it was as if she was trying to hide it, as if the baby was consciously acting, which was simply impossible. It scared Nana, and from that moment on she preferred not to sneak up on her daughter so she wouldn't see her like that. If she ignored it, if she pretended it was just her imagination, everything would be fine, and hopefully no one else would look closely enough to tell.

When Aoi was four months old, Nana started hearing very deliberate sounds coming from her room at night. Her husband never noticed, he was exhausted from work and slept like a log, but she remained awake through most of the night listening to her baby daughter practice syllables and words like an adult learning a new language. It sent chills down her spine, and she turned around restlessly on the bed, biting her lip.

She remembered her first word very well – after a while of repeating the same sounds over and over, she said, slowly and clearly, _Chris_. It didn't even sound like Japanese, but Nana was certain it was exactly what the baby meant to say as triumphant, childish giggles broke out from the other room.

Nana shivered. Her daughter was unnatural. She was frightened and ashamed of herself for thinking that.

Like most first-time parents, all Nana wanted was a little bundle that she could tickle and snuggle and cuddle with, and Aoi seemed to fill that role most of the time, and Nana convinced herself that it was enough. When, six months later, Aoi let out an excited "Mommy", she pretended to be as delighted as any parent would be at their child's first word, and not like she'd been eavesdropping on her every other night while she fluently spoke an unknown language for the past half year.

* * *

Nana remembered the first time she'd taken her outside the house. It must have been when she was three weeks old or so, and Nana was still blissfully ignorant of her daughter's abnormalities. Looking back on it, she realized she should have seen it then.

"Here, Aoi-chan, look. This is Mr. Dog." She pointed at the small garden-gnome, a stupid present from Rai's mother when she married him.

The baby didn't seem to have any interest in the gnome. She was squinting into the distance in the direction of the Hokage mountain. Nana remembered something about babies' eyes not being fully developed, and provided the running commentary, not that it would make a difference, or so she thought. "That's the Hokage mountain. There are four faces on it. That's the first, second, third and fourth Hokages. They're the protectors of Konoha, along with all the other ninja." Aoi's face pulled into an adorable little frown. Nana chuckled to herself. "We can't go visit today. Maybe tomorrow."

As she was about to go back inside the house, Kurenai Yuuhi stepped out from hers, suited up in mission gear. She wandered over and started cooing at Aoi much like every other of her neighbors had at some point after she brought her from the hospital.

Though this time, Aoi did something strange. As Kurenai leaned over her, she reached up, and her fingers caught on the edge of the ninja headband on her forehead and tugged. Kurenai smiled, obliging the silent command to lean closer. "That's a Leaf headband, sunshine." Aoi tugged more insistently with the weirdest look on her face. Kurenai laughed a little and pried her fingers away from it. "No need to be so impatient. If you want one, get your own."

To Nana's surprise, Aoi started screaming her throat out.

* * *

When she was fourteen months old, Aoi tugged on her dress. "Mommy! Story, story!"

Nana suppressed a shiver, managing a smile as she picked her up. "Alright, alright." Aoi wriggled happily in her arms while she picked out a book from the bottom level of the living room shelf (they'd arranged them so that all the picture books were at the bottom, and Aoi could reach them easily if she wanted to). She'd almost been dreading this moment, the moment when her genius daughter decided she wanted to learn how to read. Because that was clearly her intention – she'd never shown an interest in the picture books before.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she interrupted frequently to ask "What does this squiggly mean? And this one? And this one?" Her yellow eyes were blazing with intensity as she nodded at Nana's answers, mentally cataloging them.

After two months Aoi stopped asking for stories, and instead, books started disappearing from the shelf. Nana was frozen in place when she realized it wasn't just the picture books.

At night, she heard her come alive, moving about in her room and reading _Basic Haematology_ aloud to herself. During the day she was lethargic and unenthusiastic and fell asleep in the playdates she set up for her. The vague feeling of unease at the pit of Nana's stomach had transformed into a black knot of fear – when her daughter looked at her, Nana couldn't help feeling that those eyes could stare straight into her soul and know exactly what she was thinking.

She was terrified. Of her own daughter.

She was aware of the rumors starting among her relatives, as well. Not about Aoi's fast development – luckily no one else seemed to have noticed, yet – but about her yellow eyes and high cheekbones and general lack of resemblance to Rai. She even caught someone whispering that it made sense he cared so little about his supposed daughter. Nana sighed. Harpies, the lot of them, they didn't even know the whole story. Though even she herself was starting to avoid the toddler more and more often lately.

She placed a hand on her stomach distractedly. Rai seemed more enthusiastic about this pregnancy than the last one, which was understandable. A soft smile lit up her features. Hopefully the new baby would be more… Normal, this time.

* * *

The alarms went off while she listened to Aoi read a chapter on emergency medical procedures.

Three short strikes, one long. Hostile invasion. All civilians were to evacuate into the tunnels in the mountain immediately.

That was the only warning before the house started shaking. She shot out of bed and jostled Rai awake, before bursting into her daughter's room and grabbing her arm. She seemed shocked about being caught reading, but Nana had no time to care about any of it as they ran out of the house, wooden beams falling around them.

The rest of the night was confusion and running. At one point Nana looked behind her to see a monstrous shadow silhouetted against the moon, a cluster of tails shaking wildly and slamming into the ground and buildings like demonic chains. The air around the creature seemed to be curling in darkness, seeping upwards from its shape. She'd lived among ninja since she was a little girl but she'd never seen anything like this in her life. She screamed. A particularly violent earthquake threw her daughter and herself apart. Nana landed on her knees and tried to get up, but the ground shook again, and she was slammed against a wall.

She lost consciousness in a few seconds.

* * *

_A.N: Whether you decide to continue or not, I would really appreciate feedback on this chapter, I'm always looking for ways to improve._


	2. Selfish

_A.N: Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them! Tell me what you thought of this chapter - better than the last one? Worse? Don't hesitate to be honest._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Two

_[_**_selfish_**_: (Of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for other people; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.]_

* * *

Aoi woke up in the hospital. Her body hurt all over. Luckily, it wasn't the fiery pain of serious wounds, but the dull ache of bruises. Around her, people ran, yelled and were too busy to pay her any notice.

She remembered the alarms, and that dark silhouette. "Fuck." She looked around, but no one seemed to have heard her.

She'd forgotten about the nine tails. How could she have forgotten about the nine tails?

Well, at least she was still alive. She wondered if her parents or any of her relatives were, her mother in particular. Her father had been a boring office man who never gave her a second look, and Aoi didn't really care what happened to him one way or another; but she had a soft spot in her heart for Nana, the simple, cheerful woman who'd never hurt a fly.

The hospital was clearly in need of more personnel. There were too many people wounded and too few nurses. Aoi considered offering to help, before discarding the idea with a snort. A twenty-month-old toddler wasn't supposed to even understand the situation, let alone have any medical training or any kind of education at all.

In the interests of self-preservation she'd done her best to act as a normal baby throughout her short life, drawing on the hazy memories of an introductory lecture on child development. Hallucination or no, she intended to survive here, and the way to do that was to pass unnoticed, not catch the attention of anyone important, and stay the hell away from ninjas. Maybe she'd even make it to legal adulthood this time around.

Yeah, revealing the extent of her medical knowledge was not the way to go.

It turned out no one in her family had survived. The nine tails had completely crushed the area of Konoha where they were living. Nana had made it to the hospital, but died there before Aoi woke up. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Then she steeled herself and shook her head. A pity, but not like any of these people were real anyway.

The orphanage was a step up in terms of freedom. As long as she didn't cause trouble, no one really paid attention to her. Like the hospital, it was ridiculously understaffed, and that worked out just fine for her. She spent the day wandering around, looking for a dark corner where she could nap. She had a mostly nocturnal schedule, and she wasn't used to being awake during the day.

It had been a bit of effort, to trump her body's circadian rhythms in her infant days. Worth it in the end, because it meant she could blissfully be unconscious while her relatives were around, and she had the night to herself, with no one to notice how her behavior was indeed very strange for a child. It had worked well then and she intended to continue until she was old enough to be considered independent.

When the sun went down, she stirred awake and explored the corridors of the orphanage with enthusiasm, looking for books she could entertain herself with. She didn't find many, unfortunately.

It was frustrating. Books had always been available to her and without them she would probably die, of boredom this time. She knew she had to remedy the situation.

The Kyubi had torn through Konoha like successive natural disasters. Some areas were completely razed. In others, buildings were half-destroyed, trees uprooted, pipes busted, rubble everywhere. Even the ceiling of the orphanage itself was caved in on one corner of the kitchen.

Weeks passed. The roof was repaired and running water and electricity started working again. Some children were taken away from the orphanage by their relatives. Aoi's second birthday went without her or anyone else noticing. She managed to solve her entertainment problem by starting another book collection similar to the one she'd had under her bed at home, making use of the caretakers' workload and lack of attention. First with volumes she acquired from the workers themselves, then with others rescued from the rubble and destruction. Konoha was still healing, and people still trying to recover their belongings, and it wasn't hard to find things whose owners had died or forgotten just lying around on the street, waiting to be picked up by either the cleaning and reconstruction teams, or in this case, a curious toddler. She mostly collected medical and historical texts, the former because she still possessed the interest in medicine she'd had in her other life, the latter because she found the obvious censoring and propaganda funny.

_Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha joined forces to create the greatest alliance in history. Their ideals of friendship and cooperation were far superior to the credos of any other shinobi clan._

Friendship and cooperation? Hah. Look where that landed them, a century later.

She hardly ever spoke to the children she lived with. They were loud, annoying and she preferred sleeping. She took out her books at night and sat by the window of the common bedroom, where the streetlight shone through. She was never caught or disturbed. She suspected some of the caretakers didn't even know her name.

* * *

Aoi was not. A happy. Camper.

So far she'd been doing very well in avoiding people's attention. No one even suspected she was anything but a kid on the socially awkward side. She hadn't poked her head into anything that reeked of ninja, and she'd managed to keep unnoticed for years. She didn't want attention. She only wanted to live peacefully as a civilian without getting involved in the Plot. And then, when she was five or so, the Plot arrived one day at the orphanage, in the form of a blonde ball of compressed supernova.

Naruto was exactly every bit as she'd imagined. A small, skinny brat with dirty knees and a grin wider than she'd ever seen. Someone that noisy, obnoxious and loud shouldn't be allowed to exist. It breached the rights of Those Who Only Wanted A Quiet Place To Nap. He was put in the same common bedroom as her, so even the relative peacefulness of her own bed was lost.

Naruto snored like a locomotive. Now she had a soundtrack when she wanted to read. Joy.

To her surprise, he blended in nicely. The caretakers didn't treat him any differently than they did the other kids. Daichi, the self-proclaimed Bedroom God (if he hadn't been five that title would have other entertaining connotations), accepted him into his circle immediately. Naruto seemed happy. He didn't miss a chance to proclaim that he was going to become Hokage, Believe It! And he even bragged about being allowed to enter the Academy early because he was going to be such an important ninja. He was the one to initially spread the ninja fever throughout the orphanage, which evolved into a full-blown epidemic. Quiet Places To Nap were a species now extinct.

Aoi avoided him like the plague. Or tried to.

Something poked her side.

"Hey, you."

Aoi twitched. The poke came again. "Hey, you."

She cracked open a sleepy yellow eye. "What do you want?"

"Why you sleep all the time?"

"Because I'm tired. Please, go away." Yes, please, go away. Don't pay attention to me. Take yourself and your stinking story away for a long while, and, above all, don't say anything stupid like -

"Wanna be friends?"

Yeah, like that.

"No." It came out more vicious than she'd intended, and Naruto flinched. This, in turn, startled the kid next to him, who was building a block tower and collapsed it accidentally.

"But I saw you don't have friends. Why you don't wanna be friends?"

"They'll turn around and stab you in the back," she deadpanned. _Literally_. In fact, it was bound to happen very soon in Naruto's case. "I hate you, and if you come near me again I'm going to snap your neck in half," she continued in the same droll voice.

Naruto left her alone after that. She wasn't sorry. She had no desire to be involved in the story and likely suffer a premature death, and she knew he'd turn out fine on his own.

It was around one in the morning that night when he had his first nightmare. Aoi was reading by the window, as usual, when his earthquake snores broke off into a small whimper. She lifted her eyes momentarily before bringing them back down to her book. She was testing herself on her memories of anatomy, and comparing her knowledge to the diagrams in the book.

_Okay, cranial nerves. Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor. Fourth is Trochlear, Fifth Trigeminal. Abducens and Facial, Vestibulocochlear. Ninth... What was ninth? Glossopharyngeal. Why do they call it Mediaportal?_

Another, louder whimper escaped Naruto's lips. He started thrashing around, shaking the sheets off his body. Something dark and unpleasant invaded the room, and Aoi stopped reading. She recognized that feeling - it was the evil that night with the alarms, the DeathRageRedKill -

The other children were stirring. Aoi's body seemed to be clamped in place. She had the complete certainty that if she even moved one finger the evil energy in the room would know she was there, focus in on her like a magnet and destroy her.

The fact that she could be rendered so helpless by a mere impression, just a _feeling_, was almost more terrifying than the feeling itself.

_You're more likely to die if you don't do something. _She grit her teeth, violently pushing down on it, and raced to his bed. "Naruto, wake up," she ordered, jostling his shoulders. Her hands were trembling.

Naruto opened his eyes. Aoi startled. They were red, and his pupils had contracted into vertical slits. He _screamed_.

That definitely woke up the other children, who started screaming as well. Black symbols appeared on Naruto's stomach and something red seeped upwards, like fire. Aoi staggered back as he convulsed more violently. A shadow and a flash of white mask and she was outside the room. The children started rushing out of the door screaming, or were shoved out if they weren't fast enough, and she caught a glimpse of a white animal mask at the door before it was slammed shut. The children ran as far away from it as possible, but Aoi didn't seem to be able to move her legs, her entire body trembling. Eventually one of the caretakers picked her up and carried her away.

The incident changed everything. The adults seemed to remember who exactly had put the children they took care of in an orphaned state in the first place. At best they acted like Naruto didn't exist, not putting a plate in front of him at mealtimes and just pretending he wasn't there at all. At worst they mocked him and yelled at him to 'get out of my sight, you monster, or I'll cut your legs off.' She'd never seen any of them actually hit him, but had spotted bruises on Naruto's face a couple of times.

The children were quick to catch on to the hostility in the air. Daichi bullied him, destroyed his blankets and took his clothes. They shunned him and made fun of him at every opportunity. Naruto coped with it as one would expect a four-year-old to cope, which was not well at all.

He cried himself to sleep every night now. Aoi patiently waited for him to finish before getting up and starting on her books.

One day, she entered the common bedroom with the intention of catching some sleep before dinner. Daichi and his friends had been there, tossing Naruto's goggles around while he stood in the middle and tried to catch them. "Give them back! I dain't do nothing to you!"

"Why do you want stupid goggles anyway, huh? They're so ugly it's disgusting." He held them out in front of himself by two fingers. Naruto reached for them, but he giggled and chucked them to someone else.

"Give them back!" Naruto looked close to tears.

"Shut up. A monster like you doesn't deserve to have goggles even if they're ugly ass goggles."

"I'm not a monster!"

Aoi turned on her heel and walked right out. Everything would sort itself out eventually - she had no desire to be involved in any of it. And if Naruto's goggles were cracked the next morning, and he had a black eye, well, it was none of her business.

At least she'd warned him.

It didn't last for very long. Naruto was moved out of the orphanage and taken to his own apartment, for his own safety or the children's safety, Aoi didn't know. Daichi organized a special goodbye which consisted in throwing wet paper balls at him from their bedroom's window while he stood outside, waiting for whoever was meant to pick him up. Naruto snarled at them and gave them the finger, but Daichi just snickered and aimed a ball at his head. He didn't miss.

After Naruto left, everything more or less returned to normal. The children still wanted to become ninja. Daichi was still the leader of the bedroom. He'd stopped trying to include her long ago, when it became clear that all Aoi was interested in was napping and reading.

No one spoke of Naruto again.

Crisis successfully averted.

* * *

ANBU Hound was waiting, muscles coiled and ready to spring. He wasn't supposed to be here. In fact, his Hokage had explicitly ordered not to be here - but he couldn't just stand by when something of this magnitude was unfolding before his eyes. Being forced to sit there watching helplessly that time with the Nine Tails had been bad enough. He wasn't going to go through that again.

He smelled it first. The rancid, unpleasant smell of blood, and metal and something else that made him recoil almost instantly. He tried not to think of the implications of this - then steeled himself. _Relax. Wait. _His mind slipped into the perfect clarity he was used to, the calm state of mind that allowed him to make split-second, life-or-death decisions no matter the stakes.

A man emerged from the cave entrance he was watching, deathly pale skin and eyes that radiated so much intent he had to remind himself to breathe again. Orochimaru turned, head tilting in his direction. Hound stepped out from the shadows with the lithe fluidity of a dancer, every step silent and deliberate. His hand was fisted in lightning, crackling and sharper than a sword's edge. There was no use in hiding if the target already knew he was there. Besides, Chidori wasn't for hiding. It was feared because even those who saw it coming could do nothing to evade their inevitable fate.

Orochimaru smiled. Hound charged without a word.

He moved _fast_, faster than Hound had ever seen anyone move, with the sole exception of Minato-sensei. His neck twisted unnaturally to avoid the lightning. It barely grazed his shoulder, and then Hound was the one who had to dodge, a kunai threatening to split his head open. The kunai still scraped along the middle of his mask as the momentum from Chidori prevented him from dodging completely.

The lightning impacted into the ground and Hound's white ceramic mask fell away in two neat halves. He took a deep breath. Turned around. His red eye spun dangerously.

A snake slithered down and wrapped around Orochimaru's arm. The Sannin stroked its scales almost tenderly. "I like that look in your eye."

_Wait. Stay still_. _Don't give it away yet._

"But I don't need a fake." The smile was thin and predatory.

_And get the hell away now or that explosion will blast you into next week! _The tag was in the snake's mouth and it caught the target at point-blank range.

_Roll, get up. _"Don't move," he snarled, as the smoke cleared and Orochimaru glared back, arm covered in dark blood to the shoulder and pressed into his side. The smell hit Hound like a ton of bricks and he cut off chakra circulation to his nose, crouching further and holding a kunai up defensively.

"I see. Not bad." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and his tongue flicked out, catching a drop of blood on his cheek. Bits of snake were strewn about on the ground. The forest was silent, so silent it was oppressive. The tongue flicked out again.

A shiver ran down Hound's spine at the sudden wave of killing intent that emanated from the Sannin, evil, dark, thick, suffocating the air out of his lungs. It wasn't even directed at him in particular, it was just a wave of raw power and bloodthirst, but suddenly he was incapable of moving. Even the air was still, as if the whole world was afraid to breathe. A drop of sweat rolled down his nose. Even wounded, even with his chakra depleted as it no doubt was, Orochimaru was so far above him Hound didn't stand a _chance_. He was going to get _skewered_.

"Give the old monkey a message, would you? Thank him for letting me go. And... Tell him to take care of my little present."

Another droplet of sweat rolled down his skin as the target walked away into the forest, and Hound did absolutely nothing but stand frozen and watch him go.


	3. Cautious

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Three

_[_**_cautious_**_: (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers.]_

* * *

Hound wondered why he was stuck babysitting. First it had been the... Naruto. For a whole week. Not much of a report there, except that he'd make a good ambush and trap specialist in the future. Now this other orphan, who seemed to spend her whole day sleeping and ignoring everyone else. Part of him approved - that would have been more or less his attitude, too, if he was locked in a room with five-and-six-year-olds. Still, one would think that an ANBU operative with his skill set would be doing more exciting stuff than watching children.

The fact that said children were the nine-tails Jiinchuriki and the daughter of possibly the most dangerous missing-nin in the elemental nations didn't really justify it, in his opinion.

He wondered if he'd get in trouble for reading on the job. He glanced at the kid again. Still sleeping. His fingers crept towards his waist-pouch.

The sun set without any interesting events save for a woman down the road tripping and dropping her groceries. She flipped out when an ANBU appeared out of nowhere to help pick them up, and stuttered over herself thanking him. He was bored_, _and she'd been kinda cute.

_Oh, look at that. _The kid was getting up from her bed and heading towards the window. He quickly cast an area distortion genjutsu to hide himself and watched a bit incredulously as she settled down to read a heavy book.

She left after a while and returned with an apple and a bag of cookies. Hound frowned - didn't they lock the kitchen at night? He sneaked inside the building and tried the kitchen door. Yep. Locked. She'd either stolen a key, managed get in without a key, or sneaked out the snack earlier during the day, while the cooks were inside.

Any of the three options was promising.

She went back to sleep at about sunrise. Hound waited for another hour before starting a silent search around the room while the kids snored. He found the book in the most obvious hiding place, under her bed, which meant she wasn't as smart as he'd thought or she was confident no one would actively look for it. _Comprehensive Neuroscience. _Probably the latter, he decided, as he flicked through a few pages.

He gave the sleeping child on the bed an appraising glance and put the book back as it'd been. Before leaving he thoughtfully left behind his pocket flashlight mixed in among the other toys strewn about on the floor. Wouldn't want her to strain her eyes too much.

* * *

In retrospect, Aoi would wonder what had taken them so long to summon her to the Hokage's office. Beforehand, she was nervous and fidgety and kept trying to remember an instance in which she'd attracted too much attention, but couldn't find one, and that only unnerved her more because it meant she was flying blind.

As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything worthy of the Hokage singling her out. She was known as bright at the orphanage, certainly, but she'd thought no one had really cared enough to act on it.

She bit her lip without realizing she was imitating one of Nana's habits from when she was very young.

"Have you thought about what to do when you're older, Aoi-chan?"

Oh yeah, the suffixes. Despite her six years of culture immersion, it was the one thing she found incompatible with her speech. Maybe because she was too lazy to use any embellishments at all. When she could, she just ignored them. She was young enough to get away with it most of the time.

But the question itself was worrying, because it meant that, even if Aoi hadn't considered her future, the Hokage certainly had. "I want to be a plastic surgeon," she replied seriously. She didn't know if that even existed here but she sure as hell wasn't going to say ninja like the old man expected her to. Hopefully the answer was idiotic enough that they'd leave her alone for a few more years.

The Hokage was perplexed, and then laughed a little. "What about a ninja, Aoi-chan?"

"Plastic surgeons are cooler. They make people pretty." And yes, that did summon another confused face, because it was a very strange thing for a child of Konoha to not be affected by the constant exposure to mental and social conditioning that painted ninja as the best thing to happen since the doughnut. Or well. The dango, she supposed.

The Hokage, recovering from the shock, smiled once more. "That's a perfectly valid occupation, Aoi-chan. But remember that there are many options available to you. Your dad is a shinobi, did you know?"

Aoi shook her head, though she noted the implication that her father was not in fact dead. Somehow she had a feeling the Hokage wasn't talking about the office man she'd lived with during the first twenty months of her life.

"He was an outstanding ninja, one in his generation." Well, that was certainly not the office man. Nana had been cheating. Interesting.

But she didn't like the way this conversation was going. "What was his name?"

"Orochimaru."

Aoi's mind drew up a blank.

Come again?

She'd never given much thought to her yellow eyes because those shades weren't that rare here. She knew she must have gotten them from somewhere, but she'd seen enough goldish or honeyish eyes around to not make the connection to a specific individual. And the high cheekbones were an equally non-defining feature. She had enough of her mother in her that she'd never linked the resemblance to anyone in particular.

And out of all people, it had to be Orochimaru. Possibly the most fucked-up, insane, deranged bastard in existence. How was that for karmic retribution.

Shit. But she had to answer. Preferably stall. "He was a great ninja?"

"Yes. He was very intelligent, like you. He was a genius in the ninja arts. You might be good at it too." The look changed into one of bland interest. "You never met him, did you?"

"No." Why now? Had he defected from Konoha already? "Where is he?"

"He left Konoha a while ago. Are you sure you've never heard of him before today, Aoi-chan?"

She choked. "Yeah."

While Aoi's mind whirred to process the new information, another man appeared in the office. Her head whipped towards the shadows as soon as she spotted movement. The man was tall, and wide, and imposing in a way completely different from the Hokage. Whereas the Hokage's gestures and expressions seemed to command a transparent form of respect, tied to an impression of kindness and compassion if he wished, the new arrival's authority was murkier, darker, dangerous. And by the calm way he stood, and the Hokage's non-existent reaction, it was clear he'd been there the whole time.

"I'll train her, Hiruzen."

"If the child doesn't want to be shinobi, Danzo, we can't force her to be."

Danzo? Why was Danzo here? Aoi felt like she was being royally mindfucked. An hour ago she was perfectly content reading her books at the orphanage, with the prospect of an absolutely boring but peaceful civilian life ahead of her. And now she found out she had a sick bastard for a father and another sick bastard wanted to kidnap her and turn her into a mindless puppet.

Fantastic.

* * *

Danzo looked at the child for a second, his single eye unreadable. She seemed a bit lost, and not really paying attention to the conversation, so he focused on Hiruzen. "You've grown soft. If she has her father's potential, we can't afford to waste it. You know just as well as I do how outstanding she already is."

He'd put a Root spy on the kid much before Orochimaru defected. Yes, he'd had plans for her for a long time - only the fact that her father was in the village had prevented him from carrying them out. And his defection would have been the best occasion to take her - except that Hiruzen had reacted surprisingly quickly and stuck her with his own ANBU. Danzo's only option had been to withdraw.

Still, the reports he got were enough. The fact that Aoi managed to hide her own brilliance from the people around her was almost more impressive than the advanced medical texts she read, that even Danzo himself had trouble understanding. The girl was on the way to become a genius medic and infiltrator already. If she had her father's talent for the other ninja arts, well... He wasn't going to let the chance slip.

Despite this, the old fool was anchored in his ridiculous idealism. "Forcing a child into a path she doesn't want will not make her a good shinobi. She might even resent us for it afterwards." Unspoken was the fear that by training her they would be giving her the tools to hurt the village as her father so recently had.

Danzo was too good to roll his eyes. The discovery and abortion of Orochimaru's experiments was a shame, because they'd been on the road to yield interesting results. In a couple of years, perhaps, they would have... He flexed his arm. But the Hokage was too soft to understand that certain sacrifices were necessary for the greater good, and he was frightened of the kid taking the same path as the father.

"Under my tutelage she won't grow to be anything but loyal to Konoha." Somewhere underneath the reassurance was the accusation of Hiruzen himself failing at that very task. Danzo was nothing if not a good conversationalist.

The Hokage didn't say anything.

"It's not like she really has a choice," Danzo continued. "He will come back for her eventually, and unless you intend to keep your elite forces on her permanently, which may I remind you, Konoha can't afford, she needs to be trained. So let me do that. I'll ensure she's safe."

He paused to let that sink in. Having her in Root would really be ideal until he decided how to handle the new situation with Orochimaru. Independently of her skills, she'd make good leverage both with Hiruzen for the emotional value and the Sannin for whatever he wanted to do with her. "Remember how powerful her father is. Imagine having another ninja of that caliber in Konoha's ranks. If we do nothing, we're leaving a weapon lying around which could be picked up and used against us at any time."

The Hokage looked out the window pensively. "I suppose it would be best if she was trained. For her own safety if nothing else."

_Come on, you coward, say yes._ Danzo kept his face blank as the silence stretched.

Surprisingly, Aoi was the one to break it. "I've changed my mind," she announced. "I want to be a ninja like my dad."

Perfect.

"I want to go to the Academy with Daichi."

Danzo's eye snapped to her. She was staring intently at the Hokage, almost pleading. The convenient timing of the request was almost suspicious. It was as if she knew that Danzo didn't plan on taking her to the Academy at all, and was trying to oppose him.

Which was, of course, ridiculous. She was a genius, not a mind reader.

He'd have to look into this Daichi. If he eliminated Aoi's reason to go to the Academy, it'd be simpler to ease her into Root. Though he supposed he could allow ninja school for a year or so before making his move, if only to lull Hiruzen into a sense of security. Seven years old was still young and supple enough to be polished and modeled into a perfect, loyal weapon.

Hiruzen seemed ridiculously satisfied with the child's answer. "That's great, Aoi-chan. What do you think, Danzo? The Academy is a good place to start. We can decide what to do with her later." _Depending on how she turns out,_ went unsaid.

Danzo bowed his head in acceptance.

"Before you go, Aoi." The Hokage's expression was grave. "Your father... served Konoha well. He truly was a powerful ninja. But..." It was pitiful, to see him struggle with the words. "He's left the village. We don't know exactly what happened yet. For your own safety, it's best if you don't tell anyone who he is, at least for now."

"Sentimental fool," Danzo muttered once the kid was dismissed.

Hiruzen sighed. Danzo could plainly see the betrayal of the Sannin etched on his face. The girl wasn't a spitting image of Orochimaru, but she was close enough that the Hokage would feel like he was looking into the eyes of his old student again. "I want to see how she does in the Academy before deciding anything."

"I understand."

He could let Hiruzen think he'd won this battle and retreat, for now.

* * *

Aoi leaned her head on her hand, letting her eyes trace the cracks in the ceiling.

She'd pieced together what had happened, more or less. Orochimaru had defected from the village approximately six months ago. (And it was still hard to imagine that before that, the monster had been one of Konoha's heroes). And then they'd somehow found out he'd left a brat behind. Aoi was pretty sure Konoha hadn't known about her before the Sannin left.

Maybe Danzo had. He knew everything.

But this pretty much fucked up her plans for a peaceful life. Her father wouldn't leave her alone if he knew of her existence, which he surely did. There was no way the creep had had a child by accident. She had no idea why he hadn't attempted any contact with her in six years, but he must be aware she existed. Maybe he was waiting for her to grow up before taking her body, a disgusting possibility, but way too likely to happen to not prepare for it.

Aoi wasn't letting her body be taken by anyone, much less that sicko, not after being given a second chance at life. And she also had to avoid Danzo at all costs, because she didn't fancy being brainwashed into working for him like a slave. If Orochimaru wanted her body, Danzo wanted her mind, and that was equally unacceptable.

Hence her statement about going to the Academy. It was the safest option available at the time and thankfully the Hokage seemed to sense her desperation and agreed. The Academy ensured another six years of relative safety, as long as she didn't graduate early. _Make sure you play dumb._

Dammit, despite all her efforts, the universe had turned around and bit her in the ass. She supposed her knowledge of the future gave her a bit of an edge - she'd be able to avoid all the upcoming wars and battles, if she was careful enough. Maybe if she timed her future missions to be away from Konoha while Orochimaru was in it she'd be able to stay safe.

Why did she have to be reincarnated into the snake's daughter, anyway? Hadn't there been other newborns around?

There were very few things that motivated Aoi Momoru, but, fortunately, self-preservation was number one on the short list.


	4. Indifferent

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Four

[**_indifferent_**_: 1. Having no particular interest or concern. 2. Having no bias or prejudice; impartial. 3. Being neither good nor bad.]_

* * *

Kurenai Yuuhi wasn't one for terrifying children. Oh, like most ninja she had a sadistic streak, but usually she drew the line at psychological torture of six-year-old orphans.

"It might seem hard and unyouthful, but remember you're doing them a favor!"

"Easy for you to say," she muttered. Gai had been around a few days ago, playing the good cop to her bad cop. To hear him tell it, the children had been inspired and awed by his youthfulness and all wanted to follow in his footsteps and become awesome ninja. "See you later."

For once, he hadn't exaggerated. They rushed to her with eager faces when they heard another Jounin was coming with their registration forms. She felt rotten, knowing she was going to crush their dreams, but she had a job to do.

They sat down on the floor, making hushing noises among themselves and waiting for her to speak, eyes shining.

Her features arranged themselves in a ruthless, twisted mask, and she roughly kicked the nearest kid onto his back. "So you lot want to be ninjas, huh? You think orphans like you have what it takes? Please. You're pathetic."

Their horrified expressions made her feel like she'd just kicked a puppy. "You're so weak it's almost funny. You'll be crushed by all the clan children you'll meet at the Academy. They're the true ninjas. You're just the useless ones we toss into the battlefield and use as cannon fodder."

A hesitant voice broke the silence. "But Gai-san said-"

"But Gai-san said," Kurenai mocked in a high pitch. "You think what Gai-san said is true? It was all a lie. Ninja are killers and monsters who rip other's throats out." She bent down and sneered in the face of the kid, who looked close to tears, and from the back of her mind cast a mild genjutsu to make the room appear darker and colder. The boy started bawling outright when the shadows shifted around her like tentacles. "Crybaby," she spat in his face, before straightening up.

"Cowards like you will just die," she growled. "If you're alright with that, then stay. If you want a long, boring life, then you'd better leave this room." Her smile was bloodthirsty, her eyes glowed a demonic red and the shadows loomed behind her. They rushed out the door in a cacophony of screams and sobs.

Only three children remained. That was a bit less than she was aiming for, so maybe she'd overdone it? She released the genjutsu, truly feeling bad now.

One was a boy with short brown hair, and he stood defiantly with his arms crossed. "My name's Daichi, and I'm not a coward," he said. Kurenai noted that his knuckles were scraped, he had a bruise on his shoulder, and his knees were skinned - that kind of orphan, then. The kind who'd seen enough of the ugly world that being a ninja didn't sound as bad as other things they'd experienced. Kurenai caught herself before her expression softened and moved on.

The second was a small boy with dirty blonde hair and big, dark eyes, who started trembling when her eyes landed on him. "I - I still wadda be a ninja," he sobbed, "I promised my kaa-chan." Now that was the kind she was looking for. Brave enough to stand up even when he was nearly pissing his pants in fear.

The last was a bit of a puzzle. She was sitting in a corner of the room, her chin tucked in her chest, which rose and fell with her breathing... She was sleeping?

"You, at the back," Kurenai snarled. "Are you sure you don't want to take your nap somewhere else? Weak little girls are the first to die."

She had the gall to yawn silently before looking up. Her eyes were a weird shade of yellow, but then again, it wasn't like Kurenai herself had room to talk. Her reply, too, was definitely not what she expected. "I would, but I don't really have a choice. All my other options stink."

The girl stared blandly for another second before looking up at the ceiling, biting her lip distractedly.

Kurenai blinked, not knowing what to make of that. "Come sign the forms, then," she said, getting them out and putting them on the table.

Out of curiosity, she decided to hang around a bit after the paperwork was cleared, using a chameleon genjutsu to conceal her presence. As soon as she apparently left the room, the two boys started chatting, excited about finally becoming ninja. The girl lay back down, ignoring them both.

"I don't get it," the one named Daichi whined. "Why did that lady do that? It was so stupid."

"It was scary," the small blonde kid agreed.

"Do you mind being quiet for a bit? Trying to sleep here."

Kurenai frowned. The boys obediently lowered their voices. That was it? She was just going back to sleep?

After a whispered debate with his partner, Daichi approached her and nudged her with his foot. "Hey, Aoi, do you know why she did that?"

A groan from the ground and something that sounded like 'leave me alone'.

"I mean, before she came, everyone wanted to be a ninja, and now there's just three of us."

Aoi snapped her eyes open, glaring. "That was the point."

"Huh?"

"That was the point. They needed to bring down the number of orphans who enter the Academy. Ninja school can't take all the children in Konoha, and they won't stop people who actually _pay_ the fees from entering. They cut back on the orphans."

Daichi stared, mouth slowly opening in shock.

"Most likely each orphanage has a fixed number of children they can send to the Academy every year. Gai and Kurenai came to make sure that no more than that fixed number enrolled. They were selecting us."

Kurenai smiled. Look at that.

"Bu-But that's unfair," the blonde kid protested. "Doesn't that mean that orphans have less chances of being shinobi than normal children?"

Aoi shrugged as best as she could from her prone position. "Guess so. Konoha has to pay for us, after all. And if they're scared away after a tiny bit of half-assed intimidation, they won't make it far as ninja either way." She yawned again. "It's nothing to get upset over."

* * *

"Aoi-chan, wake up, please."

Aoi lifted her head from her arms and blinked wearily. Too. Sunny. At this hour, she was supposed to be in the stages III or IV of deep sleep. She plopped her head back down.

"Aoi Momoru," Mizuki repeated, an edge of steel creeping into his voice, "if you ignore me again I'll stick you with a detention." Someone in the class snickered.

The Academy was more or less what she'd expected it to be. The only difference with her first schooling she'd spotted so far was an inordinate amount of PE classes and not-so-subtle propaganda for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Their first lesson had been on the greatness of the Will of Fire. She'd slept through it too. Mizuki didn't like her.

She didn't understand why, really. If she'd been teaching, she'd leave the quiet kids who didn't cause trouble alone, and clamp down on people like Rock Lee, who kept jumping around and babbling nonsense about how could she be sleeping when this was their second glorious week at the Academy and - she tuned out the rest of it to protect her sanity.

On another note, she'd been surprised to have Mizuki as a teacher. It seemed her life was full of sick bastards - but she supposed that she shouldn't get involved. Naruto would sort it out eventually. Daichi elbowed her in the ribs, which caused her to flinch and straighten. "Yes, Mizuki."

A vein popped in his forehead. "Detention."

Huh? "Why?"

"Honorifics," Daichi hissed under his breath.

Oh. She was supposed to say Mizuki-_sensei_. Well, since he'd already given her the detention... her head fell on her desk with a plop and she went back to sleep.

Daichi snorted, amused, and dug a finger into his nose. Before she fell into the blissful oblivion of the dream-world she heard a quiet voice which sounded suspiciously like Hyuga Neji say something along the lines of "What a loser." She also heard one of his fangirls squee.

Geeze. They were two weeks in, and it was already starting.

Daichi amused himself with braiding his sleeping desk mate's hair and poking her with his pencils, while Mizuki said something about subtraction that he didn't understand.

The next time Aoi opened her eyes she was alone in the classroom with Mizuki and Rock Lee. She blinked, reorienting herself. Was it over already? That was the trouble with falling asleep in the middle of the day.

"Just in time, Aoi-chan," her teacher said with mock sweetness. He dropped a bunch of cleaning utensils in Lee's expecting arms and headed for the door. "For your detention, please clean the ceiling. You can come see me in the teachers' office when you're done, and then you can go home."

Lee juggled with the mops and ended up falling over. Aoi looked up at the ceiling with a detached interest, noticing a brown stain the size of a big dinner plate on it. Then she was distracted by a badly-made braid in her black hair which she didn't remember being there before.

Lee managed to get up. "I wasn't hurt at all!" he proclaimed to the empty room. He looked nothing like what she remembered. His hair was the same vibrant black, but it fell down his back in a long braid; and his clothes were of distinct Chinese inspiration. He had puffy cheeks and huge, round eyes. He was even cute, in his six-year-old way. Aoi shivered when she remembered the monstrosity he would become.

"How are we going to clean it?"

"You could stand on the desk or something." How had that huge-ass stain even gotten there in the first place? She had a feeling she didn't want to know.

"Awesome idea, Aoi-san!" He climbed on the desk with some difficulty and reached up with one of the mops. When it became evident he was too short to reach the ceiling, he started jumping and waving the mop around. Aoi sighed. She was feeling awake now and wanted to go back to the orphanage and read the book she'd started last night. It was on the chakra pathway system and tenketsu, which she was very curious about. She knew little about chakra after all, in comparison to the rest of the body.

"Lee, stay still for a moment."

"Yes, Aoi-san!"

She climbed up on the desk as well. "Crouch."

"Yes, Aoi-san!"

She sat on his shoulders, one leg on either side of his neck. Lee made a noise of protest, but she cut him off. "Can you stand up? Keep a hand on my legs so I don't fall."

Lee wobbled a bit, but in the end did manage to stand up and passed her the mop. "I haven't known you for very long, Aoi-san, but I'm already impressed! This strategy of yours is most effective! I would have never thought of -"

"Tell me when you're tired. I don't wanna fall from up here."

"Yes, Aoi-san!"

She started cleaning the stain, trying to not think too much about the way Lee was wobbling underneath her. "How did you end up in detention anyway, Lee?"

"Ah, such familiarity in using my name! Well, Mizuki-sensei said I was too loud, and I got detention as punishment! But that's alright, I'll learn to be an excellent student even if it kills me!"

Aoi sighed and tuned out his babbles for the duration of the task. There were three-hundred and sixty-one tenketsu in the human body. As far as she'd understood so far, they acted as internal and external checkpoints, or gateways for chakra movement. Internally, they opened or closed pathways to reach peripheral organs or limbs - for example, the tenketsu in the shoulder controlled chakra flow into the whole arm. But they also acted as points for external expulsion of chakra, and blocking a tenketsu through which the user was trying to expel chakra could cause the vessels around it to burst, as well as it being a means of controlling chakra flow. Interesting stuff.

"Lee, I told you to warn me if you got tired."

"I-I'm not tired, Aoi-chan!" His voice was clearly straining with effort.

"It's alright, I'm done." She managed to climb down from the dangerously leaning tower without incident. "Can you tell Mizuki?"

"Of course!"

"Great. Bye."

She left, paying no heed to Lee's proclamations about completing the mission she'd assigned him or his promises of eternal friendship.


	5. Lazy

_A.N.: To anon: thanks for the wonderful review. The points you raised were interesting. I'll act on some of your comments, keep to myself on others, and assure you that Aoi's laziness is exaggerated in regards to my own._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Five

[**_lazy_**_: Unwilling to work or use energy.]_

* * *

Most of the class didn't seem to be able to stick the leaf to their forehead.

Hyuga Neji, as expected, had no trouble with it. Neither did Uchiha Ruko, and it predictably turned into a contest to see which of them could keep it there for longer. It was amusing to see the two kids sitting opposite each other with their knees nearly touching, glowering intensely as if with the power of their eyes alone they'd be able to knock the other's leaf off. Then again, the clans were so proud of their respective doujutsu that maybe they truly believed it was possible.

Unfortunately, the scale of the conflict was much larger than that as the girls in the class had divided into two factions and were either cheering or shouting at the opposing faction. And the rest of the boys were simply staring with envy and forgetting about their own leaves.

Mizuki sighed. While they weren't supposed to master this exercise for a few months, at the rate it was going he'd have to devise rotations for detention so he could force them to work on it.

Then there was Aoi Momoru, who for once wasn't sleeping and had wandered over to see what the fuss was about. Her own leaf was firmly secured on her forehead and Mizuki grudgingly admitted to himself that she probably had the best control of the three.

He waited for it to implode.

"Why are you in a staring contest?"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, but never left his opponent's face. "'S not a staring contest."

She blinked. "Okay. Can you tell your fangirls to calm down a bit? They're quite noisy."

"Shut up, loser," Neji hissed through clenched teeth.

Aoi contemplated him for a while. Her sluggish, slow way of moving had always reminded Mizuki of an owl, with the yellow eyes and all. He expected her to shrug and go back to her corner, but instead she leaned over and blew on his leaf, which fluttered to the ground.

The fangirls gasped dramatically. One of the boys that was usually with Aoi - Daichi, wasn't it? - laughed, while the blonde one sighed and glared at his own leaf.

Neji jumped up, cheeks red with fury. "Why did you do that, you stupid girl?"

"Don't be sore, Hyuuga. I was gonna win anyway." The Uchiha stood up too and contentedly patted himself down.

"Was not!"

Mizuki closed his eyes. This was not happening.

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not times infinity plus one!" Neji's smirk radiated smugness.

"Technically, _I_ won," Aoi pointed out blandly. Both boys turned on her to see that she did, indeed, still have her leaf on her forehead. Ruko's had dropped when he'd jabbed a finger into Neji's shoulder.

It was such a rare occurrence to actually see her interact with her classmates that Mizuki let it go on for quite a while just to see what she would do. It turned out that was giving _Mizuki_ a suffering look as if asking, you've had your fun, can you do something about this now?

When he finally ordered the children back to their seats, she looked relieved and promptly dropped her head on the table and fell asleep.

* * *

Hiruzen crossed his fingers and leaned his chin on them thoughtfully.

In front of him, on the desk, were the mid-year evaluations of the youngest class of Academy students. Their teacher believed the position of Rookie of the Year would be disputed by Uchiha Ruko and Hyuga Neji, and the tail end of the class was comprised of Rock Lee and a few other civilian-born students.

The Academy curriculum was theoretically tailored so that by graduation, they would be standing on more equal ground with the clan children, but that didn't take into account the extra training they did or didn't have at home. Hiruzen had long ago given up on the issue - there was just no compensating for the tremendous boost provided by some bloodline limits. Hyugas and Uchihas were normally top of the class, hands down. With the occasional Yamanaka taking their place when neither of those two clans had children in that year.

Aoi Momoru was somewhere in the nondescript middle. _Her chakra control is quite advanced, _the report read_, but her written test scores are average and she doesn't make an effort in any kind of physical activity. Furthermore, she doesn't associate with her classmates, almost as if she didn't think of them as peers. She needs to be more involved in the lessons._

Hiruzen sighed and straightened. "Hound," he called. The ANBU operative shuunshined to kneel in front of his desk, head bowed.

"Take a look at this."

Hiruzen watched as Hound read over the report silently. "What do you think? I'm asking you because you were the one who's been assigned to watch her." He knew his interest in the girl puzzled his subordinate despite being aware of the Orochimaru connection, and Hiruzen himself admitted that this was probably overreacting. But Hound had never asked questions, he only followed orders.

"Well," he started, straightening, "it's obvious that she's hiding her abilities, Hokage-sama. No one who can read the kind of books she does would score anything less than perfect on a first year paper test."

Hiruzen lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. Yes, that was fairly obvious.

Hound sighed. "At first glance, it would seem she's just a lazy genius. If I didn't know her, I'd say she was a Nara." He paused. "Except she isn't actually lazy. She spends the whole night awake reading medical texts and practicing chakra control. Frankly, I'm surprised it's only 'advanced' - she might be holding back in that area too. She studies unusually hard, and yet doesn't want anyone to know about it. She very deliberately is leading her sensei and peers to underestimate her abilities."

Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the table. "Yes. Do you have any idea why?"

Hound hesitated. "Children strive for recognition, particularly the recognition of adults. If she really wanted to be a good Konoha ninja, she wouldn't hide her hard work, she'd show it off."

"Hm."

"I don't see any reason for a child that age to act that way without outside encouragement."

"You think she's following orders," Hiruzen stated in disbelief. No, that was impossible. If Orochimaru-

Hound shrugged, the motion somehow graceful and lazy at the same time. "If she'd just now moved to Konoha, I would have pegged her as some sort of infiltrator. But the indifference to her classmates doesn't fit. If she had malicious intent, she'd try to get close to them to avoid suspicion. I don't think she sees Konoha in a hostile manner. Maybe she's waiting for them to catch up."

Really, Hiruzen thought, sometimes he forgot Hound was labelled a genius in his Academy days as well. "So what is she doing then?"

"I'm not sure," he replied with what Hiruzen assumed was a straight face. The porcelain mask made it kind of hard to tell. "I'd say she's training herself while trying to avoid attention so as not to graduate early. Perhaps in the hopes of quickly improving her skills above what's required while keeping away from dangerous missions. Though that seems a bit paranoid and contrived for a seven-year-old. I certainly hadn't though of it."

That was when Hiruzen realized Hound was drawing his conclusions from personal experience. He grimaced at the parallel - and at the reminder of how exactly his subordinate had lost his parental guidance.

He exhaled loudly and rubbed his temples.

_I'm too old for this job. I need a successor. _He sneaked a glance at Hound, still standing at relaxed attention in front of him. How old was he, nineteen, twenty? Maybe wait a few more years, then. Hiruzen hid a smile as he imagined his reaction when the topic was sprung on him. "Thank you, Hound."

Hound shuunshined away, returning to his watch.

Well. Now, to make a decision. Shinobi who didn't buy into the Will of Fire were still manageable, but Hiruzen had already made the mistake of being too indulgent once in the past.

* * *

Lee and Aoi looked up at the brown stain.

"I thought we cleaned it at the beginning of the year," she deadpanned. "Why is it there again?"

"Maybe it regenerates, Aoi-chan," Lee replied in a serious tone that made the suggestion seem completely reasonable.

He resignedly climbed on the desk and crouched. "Hang on, Lee. I want to try something else this time." She walked to one of the walls and put both hands on it, then yanked. They remained stuck.

Aoi frowned, yanked again, and fell on the floor from the extra force. "Damn." She got up and tried again.

Carefully, she unstuck her right hand and placed it a bit higher on the wall. Then she looked down and placed the flat of her right foot against it. "What are you doing, Aoi-chan?" Experimentally, she hoisted her weight up on that foot, and when it held, hopped and stuck the other one to the wall as well.

Lee watched in amazement as Aoi started crawling up the wall like a spider, slowly at first, then faster as she gained confidence.

She eventually arrived to the junction of the wall and the ceiling, and transferred her hands, advanced a bit, then her feet. She crawled upside-down on the ceiling for a few more steps, short black hair hanging limply down, before she paused. "Lee, I'm going to fall."

"I'll catch you!"

"I don't think that's a good - aaaah! - ooomph. You alright?"

Mizuki popped his head into the classroom, saw them sprawled on the floor, and blinked. "Hurry up, kids. I don't have all day." He popped back out.

Lee shoved Aoi off him and jumped up. "That was so cool, Aoi-chan! Can you teach me how to do it?"

She evaluated him silently, yellow eyes fixing on him for a moment before drifting back up to the ceiling. "No."

Lee seemed heartbroken and gave her _puppy-eyes_. At this point in time, he was nothing like the green disaster of the future. He was a seven-year-old kid with admittedly thick eyebrows but cute nonetheless, with his long braid and parted bangs. Puppy-eyes were still an effective tool on his arsenal. Aoi herself had never been able to pull it off. People were made uncomfortable by her eyes more than anything else.

She sighed. "You should find out how to do it on your own. There are no shortcuts to being a ninja." She wasn't going to spend her time teaching brats. That was Mizuki's job.

He seemed to swallow it whole. "I'm inspired by your words! I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's finish with the stain."

When she saw the grey-haired shinobi casually leaning against a fence on the way out of the Academy, Aoi grabbed Lee's arm and spun them around. "Hang on, Lee, I forgot something." She walked back inside the building, dragging him behind her.

No, it wasn't Hatake Kakashi. That would have been too good. Out of all the characters in the series, Kakashi was the one she might one day randomly approach to ask for an autograph. He was the only reason why she even read the damn manga in the first place.

"What's up, Aoi-chan?"

"The ninja waiting outside is part of an organization whose leader sponsored my father's sick experiments and wants to overthrow the current Hokage. Or he might already be my father's right-hand man, acting as a spy in said organization. He's also sadistic and deeply deranged."

Lee blinked.

Aoi threw the window of the classroom open and jumped onto the grass outside. "Are you coming?"

They circled the building and left Academy grounds from the opposite side from where Kabuto had been waiting. Aoi checked behind them as they walked, just in case. No one. Whew.

"Ah, excuse me, you dropped this."

She jumped and turned. Shit.

Kabuto was smiling, holding out one of her pencils. He looked to be about twelve, maybe thirteen, his cheeks slightly rounder than before (after) and with his dorky glasses and stupid smile that made him look like he couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. Of course, his harmless facade had no effect on Aoi. She was perfectly aware that guy was just as sick as her father, even at thirteen. Her tongue dried.

On whose behalf he was coming, Danzo's or Orochimaru's?

Kabuto's expression had morphed to one of confusion when she didn't make a move to take the pen. She mentally kicked herself and returned his smile. _Calm down, he hasn't done anything. He can't hurt me with Lee here. Whatever he wants, I can play the seven-year-old card to get out of it_. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for it and she quickly put her hand back in her pocket. "Thank you, stranger-san," she replied sweetly.

Lee shot her a look, wondering why she was suddenly so polite.

"No problem." She started walking away. "Actually, your surname is Momoru, right? I have orders from the Hokage to take you to a meeting."

_Like hell_.

"Really?" Lee was bouncing. "The Hokage? That's so cool, Aoi-chan!"

Bullshit. The Hokage would send one of his Chunin runners like last time, not a Root agent to get her. But she wasn't supposed to know who Kabuto was and it was impossible, even for a seven-year-old, to ignore the Hokage's summons. She could pretend to be sick - no, Kabuto was a med-nin and he'd just offer to heal her.

_Stall_. "What does Hokage-sama want?" _Think of something._

Kabuto smiled. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Let's go?" He offered her his hand.

She couldn't refuse. She had no valid excuse - and she couldn't outrun or fight Kabuto. Her heart was pounding with fear as she automatically reached for his hand, her mind whirring to find a reason, any reason, not to. But there was no way out -

Her last thought before being lifted in a whirlwind of shunshin hit a second too late.

_Hadn't Orochimaru possessed the body of a pale, black-haired girl at some point?_

_Well, fuck._


	6. Calm

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Six

_[_**_calm_**_: 1. Steadiness of mind under stress. 2. Not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.]_

* * *

The Body Flicker felt like being compressed in a particularly tight space while simultaneously having her lungs sucked out. Aoi promised herself not to let it happen again.

If she lived for long enough for it to be an issue, anyway.

She was about to fall but Kabuto held her up, preventing her knees from hitting the floor. Once the momentary disorientation cleared, she looked up to find Danzo staring at her through a hard grey eye. From her perspective, he seemed pretty big, and his black cloak did make him kind of intimidating.

She would never have thought she'd be relieved to see him, but she was, so much that her knees weakened and she almost fell again. Not Orochimaru. She wouldn't get her soul eaten by her own father just yet.

_No, instead I'll be forced into working for the lunatic who fancies himself rightful dictator of Konoha. Probably end up killing whichever poor kid I happen to train with, too._

Well, it _was_ slightly better. She did survive in the second scenario.

"Hello, Aoi-san."

"Hi."

Kabuto hit her upside the head and sent her sprawling forwards. "Address Danzo-sama respectfully."

"That was not needed, Kabuto. She has no way of knowing who I am."

_Damn right_. She picked herself up and glared at Kabuto for a moment, rubbing the tender spot where he'd hit her. She'd only met Danzo once before and he hadn't been properly introduced, how did he think she knew how to address him?

"I'm one of the Elders part of the Konoha Council, Aoi-san. I'm going to supervise your training from now on."

"Why? Danzo-sama," she added hastily at Kabuto's menacing shift behind her. She'd never understand the deal with the suffixes. There was no reason to be so anal.

"The Hokage thinks you're wasting your talent at the Academy and has decided you need private instruction. From now on, you'll live here. As long as you do as you're told you'll be fine." He actually smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Her stomach dropped. Danzo smiling in a grandfatherly way was disturbing and ominous, but she was more worried about what he'd said. The Hokage had just handed her over to him? But... He was supposed to protect her! Didn't he care about what happened to his student's daughter? Of course, Danzo could be lying, but that didn't make much sense. The Hokage would be quick to draw conclusions if she suddenly stopped attending Academy classes without his permission.

The possibility that the old man had really allowed this left her almost winded. She'd honestly thought she was safe. It was hard to believe she'd misjudged him so badly. She'd been _relying_ on him.

_Really, I shouldn't be surprised, given what happened the last time I relied on anyone other than myself. _The thought was bitter.

And now she was in what seemed like a Root base.

She looked around. They were in a small empty room, with a tatami mat and no furniture or windows. The air tasted stale and heavy, which suggested they were underground. There was a single plain door on one side of the room, and Kabuto was standing in front of it, blocking the exit.

His presence was redundant, since there really was no way she could get out of the situation at this point. Without the Hokage's protection, she was at the mercy of any adult. She'd been trapped the second he'd stopped backing her.

Downplaying her abilities at the Academy had clearly been a mistake. She wondered if she should have tried to stand out instead, to try to make herself seem like she could be more useful. If she'd tried to become a moderately powerful piece, perhaps he'd have been less ready to give her away. Though that would have attracted attention and attention was the one thing Aoi had been avoiding for the majority of her second life. "What about my friends?"

"Depending on how seriously you take your training, you'll be allowed to see them."

She stared at him levelly. _Yeah, right. There's no way he's letting me out of here._

Danzo gestured to Kabuto. "Kabuto will be your instructor for the moment. He's an excellent medic, and given your interest in the subject I think you'll enjoy studying under him." Aoi froze. They knew about her books. They'd been spying on her. Danzo continued as if he hadn't just dropped that bomb into the conversation. "I'll make regular checks on your progress. I expect great things from you, Aoi-san."

Kabuto showed her around the Root base. It was all winding corridors and dead ends, made purposely to confuse intruders. Aoi didn't see a single window, which corroborated her theory about being underground. "What's behind all those doors?"

Kabuto smiled back at her in his nondescript way. No wonder this guy was such a successful infiltrator - he had the most forgettable, bland face, and nothing about him seemed threatening at all. Aoi had been exercising a similar facade for some time but Kabuto had it down to an art form.

"That's where your colleagues live. I wouldn't go in if I were you, most of them have traps set up." He finally rounded a corner and opened one of the doors. "This is your room. Make yourself at home. I'll come get you in an hour."

Colleagues, huh. More like fellow gladiators, trained to fight each other to the death.

The room was a lot like the one she'd first been brought to, except it had a futon and a desk on one corner, where her book collection was neatly stacked up. Aoi sighed and picked out the one on top - _The Chakra Circulatory System_ \- and settled down on the floor.

The letters swam in front of her eyes.

_I need to get out of here. _She snapped her book shut, got up and opened the door.

And closed it.

_I can't. I don't know the layout of this place and Danzo is the kind of man who doesn't tolerate insubordination. The chances of me escaping as I am now are slim to none. Danzo will tighten the leash when I inevitably fail, making any future attempts even harder. What would I do once outside? I have nowhere else to go._

No, it was better to wait. It wasn't like her life was in immediate danger. She'd stay in Root, play Danzo's game for a while, give him no reason to distrust her. When she left it would be from an advantageous position that would protect her from any sort of retribution. For the moment, staying was the safest course of action.

She glanced back to the book on the floor. It was evening now, and she could feel the fog of sleep lifting from her mind. She sighed, picked it up, and tried to concentrate, but she was too nervous to read. She ended up sprawled on the floor, practicing a meditation exercise which consisted in heating individual parts of the body by will alone.

The first time she'd practiced this exercise, she'd pegged the strange warmth she occasionally felt in one of her limbs as wishful thinking. Later she'd recognized it as chakra. She wasn't aware of it if she didn't consciously focus on it, much like one couldn't feel their lungs expand and deflate unless they concentrated. Chakra was the feeling of something very fluid and flexible that she could amass in her abdomen and quickly propel to any part of her body. She'd found that, the more time she spent practicing, the faster that movement could be.

She didn't understand the physical energy and spiritual energy explanation. Oh, of course the theory was simple, but in practice she didn't see how it applied. The chakra she moved was just chakra. Maybe she could ask Kabuto?

She heard her door open and said ninja enter. "Now, Aoi-chan, don't be so impatient. You'll have plenty of chances to practice chakra control."

"What are we doing today?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm evaluating your baseline knowledge first. We're skipping all the literacy tests, but I want to know about your problem-solving and maths skills. Don't try to hold back, I'll know. And from now on, refer to me as Kabuto-senpai." He stared at her expectantly, and when she didn't reply, slapped her across the face.

Aoi was stunned. He'd put his whole weight behind it, and the force of the blow actually whipped her head to the side and made her lose her balance. She automatically brought a hand up to it, but that, too, was slapped away, and she was left staring up at Kabuto in confusion and anger, and suppressing the urge to hit him back. _Who does this brat think he is?_

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Wham! Another smack, stronger this time, which sent her sprawling. She swore she heard her jaw crack, and acute pain shot towards her ear. _Did he just fracture my jaw_? Her hands came away from her mouth, and there was blood. She looked up, tears of incredulity welling in her eyes.

He was still smiling, for all intents and purposes looking like he'd just commented about the nice weather. "I told you to address me as Kabuto-senpai."

"Yes, Kabuto-senpai," she replied dazedly. The action of talking sent a few more acute waves of pain along the bone.

"Great! If you're a good girl, I'll heal your jaw when the session is over."

What the fuck.

She followed behind him through the corridors, reeling from shock and pain and not paying attention to her surroundings. They arrived to another of those square rooms - she was starting to think of them as boxes, or prisons - with a few desks and chairs. There was also some sort of blackboard at the front. Aoi supposed even Root agents had to get an education.

The tests he gave her were meant for Academy graduates - and under normal circumstances, Aoi would have no trouble with maths problems designed for twelve-year-olds. But with a dislocated jaw it was hard to concentrate, and she frequently paused to hold her hand to it, the other one tapping on the desk to distract her from her pain. _Yeah, definitely cracked on the right side. _She prodded it tenderly, suppressing a grimace. _Doesn't seem to be that bad. It would probably heal on its own._

Kabuto's hand shot out and gripped her wrist. Aoi froze, all her muscles tensing at the same time. "You should be working on your test, Aoi-san."

He let go of her wrist. She obediently picked up the pencil and looked at the paper. The first part was short and easy, History, maths and geography. Then he gave her another, much more specific test which was medicine-specific. Despite Kabuto's warnings Aoi left blank a few questions and purposefully answered wrong a few others. Her previous experience, combined with the six or so years she'd spent studying from the books in this world, had given her a vast amount of theoretical knowledge, but she couldn't realistically claim she'd learned all she knew in her short life.

It felt like hours when she was done. She was hungry, and thirsty, and above all she either needed her jaw healed or some very potent painkillers.

Kabuto calmly picked up the paper and scanned over it. "Perfect. You don't need classes on any civilian subjects. Your history is spotty, but it'll have to do. Medicine... Hm." He frowned. "Go back to your room."

Aoi didn't move. "Are you deaf? Go back to your room."

"I'd appreciate it if you could heal me, Kabuto-senpai."

He slammed the sheets down on the desk and lifted his hand, a dangerous look in his eye. Aoi cringed.

"Enough, Kabuto," Danzo's voice snapped dryly, and Kabuto immediately relaxed and dropped his hand.

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

Danzo was standing by the doorway, leaning on his cane. His voice was sharp and displeased. "Heal the girl's jaw."

Kabuto grabbed hold of her jaw none too gently and furrowed his brow. When she felt the trickle of foreign chakra, she almost jumped. It was surprisingly similar to her own, except that she wasn't controlling it, and she had to suppress the knee-jerk reaction to lean away from it. She felt her jaw start to numb, and when the numbing disappeared the pain was gone with it.

Kabuto gave her a satisfied smile. "Better, huh?"

She almost spat in his face, managing to hold back only through the thinnest thread of control.

"Come here, Aoi."

She hopped down from the chair and approached the Root leader. Somehow, she wasn't as reluctant to go near him as during their first meeting. She'd rather stand close to Danzo than her sadist thirteen-year-old _instructor_.

She clamped down on that thought before it was finished, and her eyes widened.

_They've already started brainwashing me. Fucking hell. This is all an act so that Danzo can associate himself with positive stimuli. The disappearance of pain, and now... Food?_

He was offering her a sort of protein bar that looked very grey and bland. "You must be hungry, child. Have it." She wouldn't have come near the thing in her old life, but she had the feeling the only food she would get here was when Danzo was around, if he truly meant to associate his presence with meals and healing. So she took it and crunched down on it without protest. It was truly disgusting. She forced herself to chew slowly, making sure her jaw really was healed.

Then Danzo produced a bottle of water. "Drink and rinse your mouth well." He didn't take his eye off her, which was a bit unnerving. "Aoi-san, I'm going to put a seal on your tongue. This seal will prevent you from speaking of what we're teaching you to anyone who doesn't have the same seal as you. It's for your own protection. Do you understand?"

She hesitated before nodding. She knew she would get the Root seal sooner or later, but she never expected it to be _this_ soon - it felt like her very fate would be sealed along with her tongue. Though it wasn't like she really had a choice at this point. If all went well, she'd be able to leave and forget everything that went on in here, and the seal would just be a weird tongue tattoo to keep until the creep died.

"Stick out your tongue."

She cringed when he brought out a needle and a sort of stamp, but it actually didn't hurt at all. She watched through half-lidded eyes as Danzo worked, the glassy way his eye was concentrated in her mouth reminiscent of a dentist. The only indication that he was done was a prickle of foreign chakra. Experimental rolling of her tongue around in her mouth didn't bring forth anything different, save for a bit of swelling on the back of it.

Aoi didn't expect a bit of ink and chakra to make her feel so trapped.

Kabuto took her back to her room after that. There was a second pile of books next to the first one. At the top sat a thin volume with a blue cover labelled Shinobi Handbook. "I'll come back in six hours to start your training. By then, you should have that book memorized. I also recommend you catch some sleep, because tomorrow is going to be brutal." He gave her his fake-ass smile. "Danzo-sama won't be around."

"Yes, Kabuto-senpai."

Aoi watched the door close behind him thoughtfully.

_I'm going to kill you, you sick fuck._


	7. Gifted

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Seven

_[_**_Gifted:_**_ having exceptional talent or natural ability.]_

* * *

Aris dutifully filled in the blanks while Mizuki-sensei droned on about the founding of Konoha. He was one of the few - apart from the Uchiha and a girl named Tenten, no one else seemed to be paying attention. In front of him, Neji made a point of looking bored. Though the Hyuga immediately turned serious when jutsu or chakra techniques were mentioned, he proclaimed the civvie subjects weren't worth his time.

After a while Aris sighed, shifted strands of dirty blonde hair out of his eyes and put his pen down. His wrist ached. He glanced at Daichi, who was using one of his pencils to pretend he had a mustache. His eyes moved to the next seat along on the row, which was empty. "Hey, Daichi-kun."

"What?"

"Aren't you worried about Aoi-chan?"

Daichi turned his brown eyes on him, grimacing when his pencil fell. "Nah. She's probably just asleep somewhere."

"But," Aris protested, "it's been a week already. And we haven't seen her at the orphanage either."

The other boy shrugged. "Who cares? She's boring."

"But she's our friend." He scrunched his small features into a frown. "I think."

Daichi tried the mustache trick again, this time with two pencils. He also ran his hands through his hair, trying to get it to stand up in spikes for some reason. "Fine. We can ask Mizuki-sensei after class."

A few seats away, Lee, who had overheard the conversation, loudly stated, "I too am worried about my detention partner! I'll go with you!"

Something snapped at the front of the class and everyone's heads turned towards it. Mizuki was holding half a piece of chalk, the other half having fallen to the ground. "Lee, detention," he ground out, jaw clenched and vein throbbing in his forehead. From the front also wafted over Neji's usual, "Loser."

* * *

The query about Aoi Momoru's whereabouts was sitting untouched in front of him.

Hiruzen had done many things in his life he wasn't proud of. He'd killed people who'd deserved to live and he'd let escape others who deserved to die. Who _needed_ to die for the world to become a better place.

He'd known Orochimaru was not the exemplary ninja he'd painted him as, he'd known about the man's twisted motives and dangerous obsessions and yet he'd convinced himself that his achievements and talents outweighed his faults. Even when it became painfully clear that Orochimaru was much more monstrous than he'd ever suspected, that he had spiraled so far into darkness he couldn't be saved, Hiruzen was unable to end it. He'd let him escape, no doubt sentencing hundreds more innocents to pain and misery because he wasn't able to stop his own student. _His own student_.

Hashirama-sensei said that love wasn't a weakness. As much as Hiruzen wanted to believe that his love for the village and everyone in it was his greatest strength, he couldn't deny that in Orochimaru's case it had prevented him from doing what needed to be done. He was aware of it. Orochimaru had to die and Hiruzen hadn't been able to kill him because... He took a long drag of his pipe.

That was why men like Danzo existed. Danzo did the things that Hiruzen's misplaced compassion wouldn't allow him to. It was a painful and hated role, without glory, without recognition, but _necessary_. If Danzo didn't exist to ruthlessly, mercilessly make the hard decisions, Konohagakure would have long ago sunk in the shadows.

Danzo loved the village more than the Hokage himself, which was why he was sometimes able to hurt it in order to protect it. It was also why Hiruzen, when he feared his feelings clouded his judgement, trusted Danzo to do the right thing, however cruel it may seem. For the good of the village.

When he looked into the eyes of that child, intelligent and knowing much beyond her years, he couldn't help seeing Orochimaru again, and the shattered and broken bodies hanging from the walls of that laboratory. All dead, he'd been able to tell at first glance. How many? Dozens? A hundred? A hundred bodies of his people weighting on his chest and his conscience like a mountain. A hundred he'd been unable to avenge.

Hiruzen knew that he was emotionally compromised regarding anything that had to do with his student and that included his student's daughter.

He knew little of Danzo's methods, but the shinobi he produced were competent and loyal. He convinced himself that it was the right decision to leave it up to him. The Academy hadn't worked and above all Hiruzen did not want another Orochimaru.

He sighed and wrote down some nonsense about her being adopted by a family who lived in Otafuku Gai.

* * *

Kabuto had broken Aoi's wrist earlier that day and refused to heal it even though she'd been perfectly polite and completed the task he'd assigned her without further protest (seeing as the first time resulted in said broken wrist and a second pile of armor to clean). She'd set it with two blunted kunai and strips of her old shirt wrapped around as bandages but it still hurt like a bitch.

_Fuck him. Fuck all these Root nutjobs. Fuck ninjas._

Her body was noticeably thinner than when she'd first arrived and covered in bruises, but the pangs of hunger, bouts of dizziness and occasionally pain when she pressed down on a bruise were negligible in comparison to the acute throbbing in her left wrist.

Now she desperately ruffled through a book titled Anesthetic Remedies, her teeth grit with determination, hoping for a way to numb the pain and manage a few hours of sleep before the sicko came to get her again. Unfortunately the book was more of a herbal than a real med-nin manual, and Aoi was still locked underground and had no herbs at her disposal.

The last page in the book read: _these remedies are only partially effective and should an experienced med-nin be available it is preferable that they numb the area of the wound with chakra._

That was the only suggestion that medical ninjutsu did have techniques to produce effects similar to anesthesia. Healing her wrist directly was out of the question - so far all Aoi had managed was close up tiny scratches and even then she left a pale scar that wouldn't be there had the wound healed naturally.

But just numbing... Numbing should be easier. It would require no finesse or control, all she'd have to do was shock her neurons into stopping their transmission to her brain. She was reluctant to try, though, as if she did something wrong she might permanently lose all motion in her hand. Nerves were delicate.

After another book yielded no further clues, she decided to do it anyway.

The first jab of chakra made her cry out and fold over herself on the floor, where she whimpered pathetically for ten minutes until the pain receded. The second try was much more successful, resulting in an unpleasant sensation of pins and needles from the tip of her fingers to her elbow, much like hitting one's funny bone, but better than the acute, fiery pain of a broken wrist.

She fell asleep in seconds.

_This technique is dangerous, _was Aoi's first thought upon waking up and finding her hand swollen to resemble a number of plums stuck together. _Minimizing pain is useful but it makes it impossible to keep track of the extent of the damage._

There was a reason why pain existed, after all. It was a signal to indicate the body had been harmed and prevent any activity to harm it further. Aoi had apparently spent a portion of the night (or day; she wasn't sure anymore) sleeping on her anesthetized hand without noticing and making the swelling worse.

_Using this I could potentially cut off my own arm without feeling a thing_, she mused. _I need to refine this, mitigate it and adjust it to a smaller area._

Kabuto opened the door to find a very serious Aoi sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at a badly swollen wrist that looked like it needed urgent medical attention. She didn't seem as weary and sleep-deprived as he'd imagined, but that injury surely hurt. He smiled. "Good morning, Aoi-san."

"Morning, senpai." Her eyes trailed lazily to him. "Would you be so kind as to heal my wrist now?" Her tone was perfectly bland and devoid of emotion, as if his answer didn't matter one way or another. His smile widened. He walked over and knelt next to her without a word and took her hand in a gesture that would have seemed tender had it come from anyone else.

It took him less than two minutes to reduce the swelling, repair torn tendons and align broken bones so they could heal properly. Aoi watched him with her usual intensity while he worked, yellow eyes sharp and attentive. "You'll still feel pain for a couple of days. Bones are quite hard to heal, and as you know the wrist is comprised of many of them. But after that you should be fine."

"What are we doing today?"

"Chakra control," was the short answer.

Aoi had been building a mental map over the week she'd spent in the Root base - at least, she assumed it was close to a week. The corridors Kabuto took her through this time were familiar and she probably could have found her way back on her own. So far, she hadn't seen any other living being though she'd often felt like she was being watched and sometimes when she turned she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

They arrived to another of the cube-rooms. "Medical ninjutsu requires flawless chakra control," he explained. "And a bit more knowledge than the standard most ninja are familiar with. Chakra is comprised of physical energy and spiritual energy, right?" Aoi nodded obediently. Oh, goody. A talking lesson. They were her favorite, because Kabuto had little excuse to hurt her as she usually knew the answers to his unreasonably convoluted questions. She also found Kabuto's tick of pushing up his glasses after each sentence funny.

"For medic-nin there is another way of classifying it. Raw and refined chakra. Raw chakra is nearly synonymous with physical energy. It's produced by every living cell of the body. It moves passively inwards, from the cells to the chakra coils in the stomach. There, it can be voluntarily refined by the user, by mixing it with spiritual energy, and redistributed to the rest of the body for strengthening or pooled and expelled for ninjutsu and genjutsu."

"So it's like tree sap."

He slapped her, but Aoi saw it coming and didn't startle. "Don't interrupt me. When most ninja speak of chakra they refer to refined chakra. That is the one that they voluntarily manipulate. What they don't know is that raw chakra can be controlled too, though it's harder. It cannot be used for ninjutsu or genjutsu but being a direct product of the activity of cells it can be used to strengthen and stimulate their metabolism. It's even more effective than refined chakra when used in taijutsu."

_That's what Lee does,_ Aoi understood suddenly. _Will do,_ she corrected herself. _For some reason he can't control refined chakra but that's almost an advantage rather than a disadvantage where taijutsu is concerned._

"All living beings possess raw chakra but only a few can refine it. That's one of the things that distinguishes summons from normal animals but we don't care about that." He smiled. "The thing is, raw chakra also has a signature which is specific to every individual; this is why we're able to recognize people we know well from just their chakra. Chakra with a different signature from the individual's usually results in a rejective reaction if it enters the body."

Aoi listened patiently. Chakra had its own sort of antigen, then, like every cell in an individual had a specific molecule that ensured the immune system could recognize it, and act only against cells that possessed the wrong antigen.

"It's the reason why medical ninjutsu, which inserts chakra in the patient's body, must not possess any physical energy at all. It must be completely blocked out so only spiritual energy remains."

Yes, all very logical.

"But if I were to try to heal myself, I wouldn't need to siphon out physical energy, since my body won't reject my own chakra signature," Aoi reasoned.

Kabuto seemed too surprised to point out that she'd interrupted again. "Yes."

He got himself together and clapped his hands once, ending the long explanation. "Walk up the wall for me, please. Direct chakra to your feet and try to get them to stick." Aoi quickly found out that walking was different from crawling. Not only was she attached to the wall by a smaller surface area, but she also had to distribute chakra evenly through the rest of the body to counteract the pull of gravity. Still, she managed it with ease.

She stared at him, face blank, while she stood perpendicular to the wall, her expression almost saying, _tell me something I don't know._

Kabuto frowned, then told her to come down and rummaged in his pocket. He produced a small white stone with a metal-like shine to it. "This is a Yin chakra stone. It reacts to chakra with a physical composition by vibrating and shattering. Try to infuse it with spiritual chakra only. If you succeed, it shouldn't break."

Aoi weighted up the stone in her right hand. Shrugging, she channeled the tiniest amount of chakra into it, then watched in mild fascination as the stone broke into two neat halves, which started pulling closer to the other until they stuck together again and the fissure disappeared. _It's like mercury, only solid. Maybe some kind of magnet._

Kabuto was about to say something when the door opened, and Danzo stepped in. "Good morning, Kabuto-san, Aoi-san. How's the training going?"

_Oh, thank God. I'm starving._


	8. Patient

_A.N.: I may not reply to all reviews but I do take into account every single one of them._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Eight

**_[Patient: _**_able to accept or tolerate delays, problems or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.]_

* * *

One of the advantages of being a med-nin was that one was able to control exactly the amount of damage one dealt to a target. Maximizing the intensity of pain inflicted while avoiding permanent injuries, and he could do it as many times as he wanted by healing and inflicting again. Which was why Kabuto was one of Danzo's favorite instructors.

It had taken an unusually long amount of time to break Aoi Momoru. Normally, children of that age were much easier - after two weeks or so of mental and physical abuse, exhaustion, food deprivation and loneliness they were forced to shut out their emotions nearly completely and follow orders without hesitation. Loyalty to Danzo became their religion. The initial phase of the Root program was designed to instill total obedience and erase identity, creating an unconditional follower which could be shaped into a soldier in the following years of training.

But after two months Kabuto still wasn't sure where he was at with Aoi. Most of the time she was meek, blank and obedient, as she should be. But there were instances in which her eyes shifted away from him in an almost dismissive way, or times when she was unable to help herself from making what could be mistaken for a small challenging gesture. Kabuto didn't know if he was imagining it because when he looked twice she had the indifferent expression on her face again and answered whatever order he gave her with the same bland, "Yes, Kabuto-senpai."

But Danzo was growing impatient and after an interview with her, the Root leader deemed her ready to move to the next phase of the program, despite Kabuto's reservations. She was no longer only Kabuto's responsibility. He still taught her medical ninjutsu, but she'd started being taught proper ninja skills with the other children. The physical abuse of the first phase was toned down and they weren't denied food and rest when they needed it - though insubordination still warranted harsh punishments. Privileges were also given if one of the children performed exceptionally well.

There were only five at the moment, including Aoi, and only one of them was of the same age as her, the others being at least two or three years older. It didn't matter, because she caught up to their general level in just over a month.

Kabuto knew even he hadn't shown such rapid progress and it irked him.

Root being a division primarily focused on infiltration, the first techniques they were taught slightly differed from what they'd have learnt at the Academy. How to conceal their chakra signature, how to use their age to gain information and signs to distinguish whether someone was being honest. The Transformation technique. "It's very hard to hide one's chakra while performing a jutsu. Most chunin-level ninja and above will be able to tell that something's off, especially if you transform into somebody they're familiar with. However, it's very useful for fooling civilians and hiding in crowds." Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "Well, go ahead. Transform into an unassuming civilian."

Most of them failed. It was understandable, since it was the first time they attempted the technique. Either they forgot bits of the transformation, or the jutsu flickered, superimposing both images, or the result was humanoid in shape but lacked detail.

Aoi Momoru's transformation was perfect. Kabuto found himself looking up at a young woman with straight, limp brown hair, green eyes and a slightly larger-than-average nose. She wore strange clothes, tighter than he was used to with a leather handbag hanging from one shoulder. She smirked down at him for a second before her expression turned back to its usual blankness.

The transformation was older than him by a few years. She was also taller than him. He didn't like it.

"Well, everyone, keep practicing. Aoi-san, why don't you start working on turning into inanimate objects?" A pity he couldn't hit her as often anymore. Instead, he gave her a freezing smile and walked to a corner to watch. By the end of the session, the other small kid, the one who was drawing all the time, was the only one who'd managed a passable human transformation apart from her.

He took his revenge in the next specialized medical ninjutsu session. He was supposed to open up a corpse in front of her for the first time - and he knew from experience that, depending on how the demonstrator handled it, it could be quite traumatizing. But her reaction was woefully underwhelmed. She leaned over the torn open ribcage, crushed organs and dark blood and bits of bone mixed into one gory mess, and made a contemplative sound. "If you drain out the blood and replace it with a fixing agent before opening it up, it's less messy."

Kabuto pushed up his glasses. Bits of intestine hung from his arm and the gesture accidentally smeared blood on his clothes. "Whatever."

* * *

Aoi looked at Sai (though she knew that wasn't his name now) and then at the older Root member who'd been teaching them that day. She had a bear mask with four holes for the eyes instead of two. Aoi didn't want to think about the reason for it. "Well? Get ready."

Sai blinked and slid into a pose which looked suspiciously like a fighting stance. This was the first time Aoi had any kind of taijutsu training so, not knowing quite what to do, she just mimicked him. At the Academy they'd still been playing ball games and doing conditioning drills when she left, and for most of it she'd just found a quiet corner in the shade to nap. She didn't see the use of starting physical training so early, when their bodies still had to develop. Also, she was usually exhausted from her nightly studying.

Sai had been fairly easy to recognize. He was the only kid around her age and the only one whose skin was paler than hers. He didn't talk much, and she'd never seen him without his sketchpad nearby. His eyes were wider than they'd be when he was older, making him look decptively innocent. Really, even in a fighting stance he wasn't very threatening, with his chubby cheeks and small nose and -

"Begin!"

Aoi blinked at the ground her face was pressed against, having entirely missed whatever had put it there. Her arm was pinned painfully against her back and one of her legs was trapped underneath something heavy. As she blinked again something hit her in the back of the head and she saw stars.

"Enough," the Root agent said, and immediately whatever was holding her in place disappeared.

Aoi picked herself up, disoriented. Sai was standing a few meters away from her, back in his stance, as if he hadn't just crushed her into the ground like a worm. "Begin!"

This time she felt her ribs crack and she was slammed against one of the walls of the room, all her air leaving her lungs in a whoosh. "Girl, we're going to keep doing this until you land a good hit on him." For a moment of panic Aoi was unable to get any air in her lungs again until it finally flowed, and she bent over, gasping. _Yup, cracked rib. Fucking Sai._

He came at her again. She didn't have time to do more than put her arms in front of her face as he methodically beat her down, punching and kicking and snapping every part of her that wasn't covered by her arms. There was more breaking and blood. Sai hit much harder than she'd expected, and he knew how to snap joints and target all the weaker areas. At some point Aoi lost track of it and simply curled up into a ball, waiting for it to be over.

Finally, Sai stopped and turned away. It felt like the blows had been raining down for an eternity, though it probably wasn't more than a dozen seconds. "I've broken or dislocated her arms and legs. I doubt she'll be able to hit me now."

Aoi made a sound. She was in so much pain she didn't even know what she'd meant to say.

Sai looked back and added, "Should I kill her?"

The question suddenly jostled her awake, _kill me?_ Fear pushed the pain back like a tidal wave. She sent numbing chakra crashing all over her body, then straightened one leg, kicking Sai's foot from under him. As he fell back towards her, already turning his head, she punched him across the face.

Her arm was so numb she didn't even feel the impact. It was like using a stick. She wasn't sure how hard she'd hit him but it must have been fairly hard, because Sai's head snapped to the side and he fell on her with an 'ooomph', before quickly rolling away.

The masked woman grabbed Sai's arm as he got up. "Alright, you both did well. Boy, go call Kabuto."

After shooting her an indifferent look, he scampered off.

Aoi was obscenely proud of having managed a punch on an eight-year-old, telling herself that Sai could probably beat any normal adult to a pulp even at eight. Bear woman didn't offer any further words of praise.

She maintained the numbing jutsu until Kabuto arrived. "Got yourself in quite a mess, huh?" he commented, in a suspiciously happy note, before leaning down and setting to work.

She concentrated, feeling how his foreign chakra wrapped around her cracked ribs and burst vessels and started threading them back together. "Kabuto-senpai."

"Yes?"

She licked her lips, sighing softly as her dislocated shoulder was eased back into place. "I read that the mystical palm technique works by stimulating the patient's cells to divide, grow and regenerate. But the Yin chakra med-nin use has no physical substance so it shouldn't be able to do that. So how does it work?"

Kabuto smiled. Aoi had long ago worked out how to play Kabuto. Nearly all his actions were centered around proving his superiority, whether that was physically or by showing off his superior medical knowledge. Kabuto enjoyed listening to the sound of his own voice and wouldn't object to teaching something as long as she didn't interrupt him. "What you do is mix the Yin chakra with the raw chakra passively produced by the patient's body, making a pseudo-refined chakra which you then re-inject in the damaged organ or tissue, forcing it to regenerate." He paused to push up his glasses, then started working on her other arm. "Though I wouldn't try it if I were you, it requires chakra control a level above what you can currently manage. There's a precursor technique called the Diagnostic palm which merely uses the Yin chakra to wrap around organs and assess damage. When you manage to not break the stone, you can try that."

Aoi thought for some time. Kabuto had finished and was about to walk out the door when she spoke. "But if I were healing myself, there would be no need to mix the Yin chakra in my hand with the raw chakra in the affected area. I could just make refined chakra the normal way, through the coils, and direct it into the affected area internally without use of my hands or anything. After all, my body won't reject my own physical chakra and it's much easier that way."

Kabuto paused at the door. "Ah, maybe," he said, and walked out.

_Maybe, my ass, _Aoi thought later, in her room. She was smiling up at the no-longer cut on her thumb, which she'd healed using normal refined chakra without any difficulty. There was no scar, either. _He's just never thought of it before._

It then occurred to her that later, Kabuto would fight Tsunade and Naruto using a jutsu that involved rapidly healing any area of his body that was damaged.

_Huh. I didn't just give him the idea for it, did I?_

Then she practiced moving around her chakra in her body, warming up various areas from her third toe to her left eyebrow. After a while she sat up and stared hard at the small white stone on the floor. She picked it up and injected a tiny bit of chakra into it.

Creating purely Yin chakra was a strange thing to do. You still had to pool the raw physical chakra in the coils but not let any of it into the chakra you sent back outwards. The stone's surface cracked at the top, but didn't break, and in a few seconds it was smooth again. _Good enough._

She pocketed the stone, sent more chakra to her now empty hand, looked at it, breathed in, and placed it over her leg. If this went wrong the limbs were safer than the torso. Yin chakra had no physical substance and in theory couldn't damage her body, but it was still safer not to place it over a major tenketsu just in case.

The Diagnostic Palm was surprisingly easy. She could feel the place where skin met a layer of conjunctive tissue and then thick muscle. As she sent the chakra deeper she felt the stranger consistency of bone, then bone marrow. She also came across the occasional major nerve or blood vessel and...

_It's exactly like tree sap. The cells making up the chakra system are dead. _She supposed it made sense, so that the chakra flow wasn't disrupted by the cells it traveled through, but still, it was exciting to learn that her body had somehow adopted a circulatory system uncannily similar to that of plants.

Aoi sighed and lay back down, thinking back to the fight with Sai. He was really good. She hadn't even been able to tell what he hit her with. The reality of the situation dawned on her again, that she was training to become a ninja and this was Root and at some point she'd be part of Danzo's coup to overthrow the Hokage.

* * *

Days passed. Maybe weeks. Maybe months. Sai still beat her up on a weekly basis but at least she had the numbing jutsu and the self-healing one to get through it. She let Kabuto heal her most of the time still, because she didn't want to give all her cards away yet and as much as she hated to admit it he was still a better medic than her. She might have had more in-depth knowledge, especially on things at the molecular level, but he had years of chakra-healing experience to draw on.

Her escape plan was still inapplicable.

She was waiting for the right moment. She was relatively safe now, but Root was not a nice place to be in and she still fully intended to leave it. She hoped the Hokage wouldn't let Danzo have her forever, but if he had forgotten about her she knew she'd have to take matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, information gathering was proving to be ridiculously difficult since everyone she came into contact with was stoic and tight-lipped and disappeared as soon as their business was done.

Someone knocked at her door. "Come in," she said without moving from her bed.

"I'd rather you came out here, Yellow-san," Sai's voice answered politely.

He was, perhaps, the only person who she could talk to on a more or less normal level. Him and one of the older children they trained with that called himself Shin. They knew more about the organization than she did and weren't so reluctant to share their knowledge. Shin in particular behaved in a relaxed and friendly manner when they were alone, though the emotionless mask slipped on as soon as an agent passed nearby.

Aoi had been thinking on how to approach the topic of a breakout with him for a while. She had the feeling Shin was just as restless as she was, but didn't want to risk it until she knew more about him. If he tattled on her, it would be a disaster. Not to mention he seemed to have a soft spot for Sai and Sai shared none of his animosity towards Root. Sai was the perfect little soldier.

She pushed her thoughts aside and got up to open the door.

Sai was standing in the corridor, rocking back and forth on his heels, looking adorable with his short black hair and big eyes and not at all like a trained killer. "What do you want?"

"Danzo-sama said to bring you. We have a mission."

Aoi stared at him incredulously for a second. She'd only been here for a few months... How many months exactly? Anyway, it was way too short a time to already be assigned a mission. Sai seemed to sense her shock. "Don't worry, I've already been on one, and Danzo-sama said this one would be easier."

"I'm going with you?" she blurted, unable to help herself.

He nodded. Aoi sighed and resignedly followed through the corridors.

_Great. Awesome. Hopefully it's outside this claustrophobic base and I'll be able to sneak some food. Hopefully it'll be a stupid D-rank about weeding fields or cleaning up rubbish. Hey, maybe I'll see the Hokage and ask him to get me out of here._

But no, of course it was an assassination mission. This was Root, after all.


	9. Innocent

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Nine

[I**nnocent**: 1. Not guilty of a crime. 2. Not responsible for or directly involved in an event yet suffering its consequences.]

* * *

Aoi had considered just taking off towards the Hokage's office and demanding to be rescued from Root the second she stepped outside. She might have made it, too, as Sai would follow the rulebook like a good little soldier and choose to complete the mission over anything else, including impeding her escape.

Except that this was obviously a test from Danzo. They were most likely being shadowed by another agent, not alone in their mission like they'd been told. The chances of a successful escape were slim and between impossible freedom and survival, Aoi would rather choose survival. If she performed flawlessly she'd gain Danzo's trust once and for all and better opportunities would arise in the future.

In this case there was a troublesome additional variable, which was that her continued survival required she participate in the cessation of someone else's existence.

People died, Aoi could tell you all about that. If it wasn't because their friends stabbed them in the back, it was by a thousand other means, natural or no, creatively invented by ninja or no. The point was that they died, and in the grand scheme of things and in what concerned Aoi personally how exactly that occurred wasn't relevant.

So after a moment she discarded it as a non-issue. Even if this world wasn't a hallucination, she had learnt the lesson and decided eight years ago that her own life had significant priority over anyone else's.

She was finally outside, feeling the wind on her face and the earth crunch under her feet and the fresh air in her lungs, after being trapped underground for the better part of a year, and yet Aoi didn't run.

She would complete the mission and go back to Root. Depending on the new situation that arose, she could follow the original plan and approach Shin once she had a better grasp on the boy. In any case she was positive a good performance would grant her more freedom and more opportunities to leave.

It wasn't the right moment yet. But it would be, soon.

* * *

When you spotted two kids by the roadside selling lemonade something tugged at your heart. Particularly if they were skeleton-thin and extremely pale and with shadows under their eyes. Particularly if they were dressed in rags. Particularly if you had kids their own age waiting for you at home, and particularly if the little girl looked up at you with eyes the most breathtaking shade of golden you'd ever seen.

Nao, who was your bodyguard, placed a hand on your sleeve as soon as you switched directions towards them. "It might not be a good idea."

You rolled your eyes because he'd been going on about poisoning attempts since you first started traveling three months ago. Mot of the time he insisted on preparing food himself and only allowed buying food outside from very specific places. It was overly paranoid and there was just no way two little kids selling lemonade by the roadside were trying to poison you. At worst they wanted to pick your pockets, and maybe you'd let them, because they just looked way too thin. "Look, there's no way these are Sand-nin. I put up with you while we were in Wind country but we crossed the Fire border two days ago. Besides, I'm thirsty."

You swatted his hand aside and smiled to the girl, who looked a bit older than the boy. "Hello, how much for one cup?"

"Nin' hundred Ryo." Her face was oddly serious.

Yup, they wanted to bleed you dry. "It seems a bit much. How about one hundred?" You held up one finger to demonstrate.

She thought about it. "No. One thousand."

That made you laugh. "It's the first time I try to bargain and a price goes _up_." You turned to look at Nao. "That ever happen to you?"

He gave you his stern, boring ninja face. You ignored him and turned back to the kids, smiling. "Alright, little lady, I'll give you one thousand."

She nodded and took the money you gave her. The boy poured your lemonade in one of their paper cups and gave it to you. But then Nao, that prickly little bastard, stopped you from drinking it by placing a hand on your arm again. "How did you make it?" He asked in his Jonin voice, letting out a small wave of what you'd learned was termed Killing Intent.

The kids flinched, and you wanted to hit him upside the head. You didn't in the end, because even though you'd been traveling with him for three months he was still a ninja who could snap your neck in half a second. Not that he would, since you were paying him to prevent exactly that from happening, but still.

The little boy pointed ahead, towards a wild grass field and a bit further away a few trees. "We found some lemon trees."

Nao's eyes narrowed. "Why are you setting up a lemonade stand in the middle of nowhere anyway?"

The kids looked too scared to answer. Finally the girl bit her lip and said, in a trembling voice, "'Snot the middle of nowhere. 'S a road."

Silence.

Now you were convinced Nao was just being stupid. You pried his hand away and raised the cup to your lips.

But you'd just wet your lips in the liquid when his hand lashed out again, knocking the cup out of your hands. It spilled on the floor, and you turned on him, angry. That was too far. "Kid," you said, clearly and distinctly (you weren't a renowned diplomat for nothing), "pour me another cup. I'll pay again." You looked Nao in the eye and dared him to make a single move.

He looked back calmly. "Sara-sama, I won't let you drink that lemonade."

You took the new cup the kid was holding up and you threw it at _him_.

Nao, being a ninja, of course managed to dodge it. The liquid drew an arc through the air and the cup landed upside-down on the earthy road. Nao appeared behind you, and you could hear the hiss in his voice. "We're leaving." He grabbed your arm and unceremoniously pulled you away from the scene, paying no heed to your protests and threats to halve his pay if he didn't release you right this second.

"Who do you think you are, you brutish man! I order you to let me go!" Then you started screaming "Help! He's abducting me!" But the countryside was empty and only the two kids with the stand could hear you.

This had happened before, a hundred times, and you knew that you'd end up forgiving him, but at the moment you were extremely thirsty and furious.

* * *

Sai calmly wiped his fingers on the special towels Kabuto had given them while Aoi sighed, put her hand in a plastic bag and picked up the paper cups on the floor.

Contrary to what the Jounin from Kumo had suspected, the lemonade wasn't poisoned. Well, it wasn't the only thing that was poisoned. The cups were too.

So the poison was now spread on the lady's lips. All she'd have to do was lick them because they were too dry or something and it would be done. Aoi couldn't imagine what the ingredients for such a potent, odorless contact poison could have cost Kabuto. "Do you think it will be enough?"

Sai had gotten out a kunai pouch and was strapping it onto his leg. "Possibly." Without a word he started stalking in the direction their target and her bodyguard had just left.

"What are you doing?"

"We must confirm the death of the target," he replied blandly.

Aoi did not want to go anywhere near that Jounin but they were probably still being watched and assessed. So she followed him, making sure her chakra signature was properly masked.

It was one of the key skills needed in infiltration and therefore the first thing Root initiates were taught. Depending on the situation, Aoi could mask her signature as that of a civilian, an animal, or even blend it in among the currents of natural chakra in the air to make it seem like there was no one there at all. It wasn't an unusual ability in ninja, though it was rare in ninja their age, and only infiltration specialists ever managed to truly master the skill. The main drawback was that, while one was masking their chakra, it was incredibly difficult to perform a jutsu at the same time without giving oneself away.

The agent who taught them was an powerful close-range sensor who could tell where exactly his opponents were and what they were doing even with his eyes closed and wearing earplugs. His favorite exercise consisted in throwing kunai at his students until they learned to mask well enough that he wasn't able to distinguish them from their surroundings anymore.

Needless to say, it had been a very painful lesson to learn.

It still didn't make Aoi eager to approach the Jonin. But Sai strode on and she had little choice in the matter.

They reached the edge of the forest where the path started twisting around shrubs and tree roots and Sai silently crawled up a trunk, Aoi following close behind. They moved slowly and stealthily, the winding branches between trees acting as their pathways, until they spotted their targets up ahead, walking side-by-side.

Either they came too close or their control slipped or perhaps the bodyguard was just that good, because he abruptly stopped walking and glanced back. "Nao?" The target inquired. Aoi held her breath.

He shook his head and continued walking, much to the two children's relief.

A few moments later the woman stumbled. The Jounin caught her before she could fall. "Sara. What hurts?"

"My-my throat," the woman choked out before slumping over.

The Jounin swore and lay her on the ground.

Aoi made some quick hand signals to Sai. Mission over. Leave.

Wait, he replied. Medic.

And indeed, the bodyguard was running his hand over the woman's throat in the familiar motions of the Diagnostic Palm. A long string of swear words ran through Aoi's mind. It was just her luck that the bodyguard knew medical fucking jutsu. She wasn't aware of any techniques to deal with poison, Kabuto hadn't taught her any of that yet, but if he managed to save her-

If he managed to save her, they would have to abort the mission. With the Jounin's guard up attempting to poison the target again would be suicide and they couldn't be expected to engage him in battle.

That meant they would fail the mission, and while it probably wouldn't earn her Danzo's trust, Aoi found she wasn't wholly averse to the idea.

But apparently it was not to be; the Jounin wasn't able to stop the inevitable. A few seconds later he shouted "No. No!" Tension radiated from him, terribly thick. "Shit. Come on, come on." The civilian's weak chakra sputtered and disappeared, and he bowed his head, his hands fisting uselessly at his sides. "Sara..."

Then he slowly stood and turned around, and Aoi was hit with such an intense wave of Killing Intent that it rooted her in place.

Fortunately Danzo had given them emergency teleport scrolls to an entrance to the Root base. She didn't hesitate in whipping it out and using it.

* * *

Hiruzen was a calm man. He didn't lose his temper often. Many people would testify that the Hokage was in fact the most patient person in all of Konoha. Some fools saw this as a weakness, but he was proud of choosing negotiation over confrontation and peace over war.

There was a proverb somewhere, about three things to be feared most in the world. The anger of a gentle man was one of them. It made sense, in a way, as only something truly terrible could arise when that dam of patience was broken. And when Hiruzen got truly angry, it was white-hot and ice-cold and someone ended up dead, and usually more than one person.

Right now he was having a very, very hard time not gouging out the remaining eye of the man standing in front of him. His killing intent invaded the room, suffocating and strangling, a dark aura of pure blood thirst that would have knocked normal people unconscious and dropped any of his Jounin to his knees.

Danzo looked a bit pale but remained standing.

"You," Hiruzen hissed, his voice sharper than a needle in the throat, "have betrayed this village."

"It was necessary-"

"No."

It was just a single word, and yet Danzo had never heard anything more deadly. "I have not betrayed the village. I've acted to protect it. You couldn't-"

"You'll disband Root immediately," the Hokage continued, his voice icy. "My ANBU will escort you to your base to make sure you do, and then to your home, where they will guard you while I arrange the paperwork to have you executed. That is. An order. Speak one more word and I might skip the paperwork and kill you myself." Said ANBU had been locked out of the office before Danzo came in, and silencing seals had been put up, because this matter could not be overheard by anyone, even mute masks.

Danzo straightened. "One day you will see, Hiruzen, that I have done you a favor."

"Get _out_."

Danzo left.

Hiruzen leaned heavily on his desk, gripping his scarce hair with his other hand. The Hokage hat was abandoned on a table in one corner of the room, and he didn't look at it.

A crushing wave of sadness flushed away the white rage and left him empty. Too much. It was too much. More than two hundred people dead, and Hiruzen had only himself and Danzo to blame, and tonight he'd pass the order to execute his closest friend for treason.

He couldn't believe Danzo had gone to such extremes. He was a jealous man, yes, paranoid and harsh, yes, but he _was supposed to protect the village_, not obliterate one of its founding Clans. Hiruzen had forgiven Danzo before, when the attempt had been on his own person, but he could not forgive this - no, the Uchiha were Konoha's citizens regardless of what they'd been planning and Danzo had massacred _his people, _creating more casualties than any other enemy village in the Third Shinobi War.

On top of it all the Hokage had to prevent the other clans from learning about it at all costs, because if they did...

He couldn't do it, he realized.

They weren't stupid; Shikaku Nara would piece together what had happened the second Danzo's head hit the ground. Hiruzen couldn't carry out justice on Danzo, because that would mean everyone knowing the reason for the genocide wasn't a teenager's whim, but it had been done on _orders _from Konoha's governing body because they were afraid of the Uchiha's power.

And if that happened, the clans would uprise. Civil war.

He slowly walked around his desk and sat down on his chair, feeling old. The Hat stared back at him from across the room, and Hiruzen put his head in his hands and cried for the first time in years.

* * *

Returning to the Root base without having attempted an escape was almost physically painful but Aoi convinced herself she had no other choice. The shadows swallowed her up as they descended back underground from the secret entrance beyond Konoha's gates.

_Well, at least I know one of the entrances now. _It was a small reassurance, but heartening all the same, to be sure that she could find her way out of the maze again if the occasion allowed it.

She was in her room, playing with the chakra stone and making it spin in her palm, when timed knocks at the door interrupted her. She tilted her head to listen. The code said, large practice hall now, so she got up, dusted herself off and opened the door. There was no one there, but Aoi had gotten used to it and just headed where she'd been instructed.

She met Sai and Shin on the way. The older boy was taller, with light hair and a pale complexion, and occasionally let the hint of a smile crack through his poker face. "Do you know what it's about?" he asked. Both Aoi and Sai shook their heads.

As they turned corners and approached the Hall, more Root agents fell into step behind them. When they finally emerged, Aoi was surprised at the number of people already waiting there. Some wore their mission gear, masks included, some were in a more casual attire, but they all formed ranks to fill almost the entire room. "Is this the whole of Root?" she asked, perplexed. Danzo was at the front of the room, flanked by two more agents...

A chill went down her spine. Though they wore the white porcelain masks too, they didn't have the customary midriff jacket. Instead they had arm guards, black clothes and a grey flak jacket.

What were regular ANBU doing here? How had they found the base?

Then Danzo announced Root was disbanded.

Aoi gaped. Either the people around her had known what he was going to say beforehand or were very good at hiding their surprise, because she seemed to be the only one caught off-guard. Even Shin took it in stride, face blank.

"From here on I release you from your duties as agents of Root," Danzo continued. "The organization no longer exists. The base is to be cleared, and all of you are ordered to return to the regular ninja ranks of Konoha."

He offered no reason. All his agents just nodded and started clearing the room. "Am I missing something here?" she asked Shin while they filed back through the corridors.

"Don't you know? Danzo-sama has given us instructions in case something like this were to happen. We pretend to obey, lay low outside for two weeks, and report back on the fourteenth night at outpost 3B." He spoke in a whisper and staring ahead, so the possible ANBU present wouldn't hear. Sai nodded to confirm it.

Yeah, no. If she was going to get out of here, she was going to make sure she _stayed_ out. She wondered if Shin himself was thinking something along the same lines.

Aoi started running down the corridor, leaving the boys behind. She stumbled into her room and packed her medical books in a strap bag they'd given her for carrying weapons. She hesitated, then decided to make a quick trip to the storage room and grab a few kunai as well. It still felt like an awkward bread knife every time she picked one up but you never knew when something sharp and pointy would prove useful.

She left the base through a different entrance she hadn't known of, following a group of older agents. They emerged in a back alley behind Konoha's walls. They all immediately veered off in opposite directions, silently agreeing to pretend they didn't know each other for fourteen days.

Aoi didn't move for a while, taking in the ratty alley and the strip of blue sky above her head.

"Aoi-san?" an incredulous voice called, and Aoi snapped her eyes to the entrance of the alleyway where a silhouette in traditional Chinese clothing had stopped to stare.

Just like that, Root was over.


	10. Independent

_A.N: Yo._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Ten

_[**independent**: 1. Free from outside control; not subject to another's authority. 2. Capable of thinking or acting for oneself.]_

* * *

It had been a year, but Lee hadn't changed much.

Aoi was still taller than him by a small margin, and he still wore his hair in a braid. She waved awkwardly. "Hey."

He wasn't alone. An old woman stood besides him, back hunched and a pair of broken glasses dangling off her nose. Her face was a spiderweb of wrinkles, her hair snowy-white, as were her eyebrows, just as bushy as Lee's. She gave off the air of one of those deep-rooted, ancient trees that had been around since the beginning of the world.

"Wow! How come you're back in Konoha?" he asked, then looked up at the woman nervously. "Grandma, this is Aoi-san, do you remember her? She was my friend... Why did you leave without saying anything?"

He looked uncertain about whether he should be upset or not. Aoi smiled, the expression feeling strangely out of place. "It was rather sudden."

Lee's grandma stared at her for a few seconds, then smiled too, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening. "Lee, I'm tired, so I'll go home. You should stay and catch up with your friend! I'm sure you have many things to tell her after a year apart!" Ah. Despite the gravely voice, she still somehow managed to convey enthusiasm. So the exclamation marks were a family thing.

"Okay, grandma! Be careful!"

Lee's grandma left and the two children looked at each other awkwardly. Aoi sighed and walked over to him. "Should we walk around?" He nodded. It was surreal, to see Lee again, to walk in broad daylight like it was normal. She kept glancing around, waiting for something to happen. He just smiled and started making his way through the crowd. "I'm so glad to see you again, Aoi-san!"

The streets were full of people. She gauged the time to be about mid-afternoon - just a few hours after her first mission that morning. Lee seemed to be walking with a purpose, weaving around strangers in a specific direction. "Where are we going?"

"To the training grounds! I always go there after class! It's really cool because a lot of ninja are practicing at this time! Do you want to come?"

"Alright," Aoi agreed, since she had nothing better to do. The training grounds were on the other side of the village and she did feel like taking a stroll. The sun on her skin was warm, and the conversations of people around her washed over her in a constant stream of noise. There was color and expression everywhere - banners, panels, clothes, a contrast to the monochromatic grey theme of the Root base and blank animal masks.

Her feet stopped in front of a food stand by themselves. Her stomach made a hungry noise as the smell of meat reached her nostrils. The food at Root had been bland, grey, and scarce. She could feel saliva gathering inside her mouth.

The next time Lee glanced over, Aoi was holding a barbecue stick between her fingers and devouring it hungrily. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but didn't ask.

"Are you coming back to the Academy then? You should know, I don't get as many detentions anymore. I've become an average student!" He seemed inordinately proud of the accomplishment.

"That's good," she complimented in between bites.

"So you _are_ coming back? What happened to your adoptive parents?"

So _that_ was the official explanation for her disappearance. Classical adoption into a family who lived in another city. Of course she'd go along with it, the seal prevented her from talking about Root anyway. "I wanted to be a ninja after all, and they let me." They side-stepped an overturned cart and the man yelling loudly on top of it. Aoi chucked the bare barbecue stick in a nearby bin with uncanny accuracy. "What have you been up to, Lee?"

She half listened while he chattered on, his eyes widening adorably at some parts and his hands making overly-enthusiastic gestures which she absently swayed to avoid. He told her about his progress in the Academy, how he was friends with a girl named Ten Ten, and how Uchiha Ruko was nicer than Neji but he hadn't been to class that morning. They finally arrived to the training grounds. Lee crouched under some bushes, and Aoi crouched with him. They watched the impressive displays of taijutsu taking place, and at one point a full-on elemental jutsu battle that broke out between two Special Jounin. Lee squealed excitedly every time something interesting happened and hurried to point it out to her.

Aoi sometimes looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift.

* * *

The Hokage stared at the child sitting in front of his desk. The chair looked too big for her, and she was much thinner than when he last saw her. "Are you eating well, Aoi-chan?"

"I am now." There was some resentfulness in her voice, but her face revealed nothing. Her eyes were half-lidded, as if bored or sleepy.

Hiruzen sighed. "I take it you didn't like Danzo as your teacher."

There was a beat of silence. "Not really."

"I'm sorry. That was a mistake. I only wanted the best for you."

She just stared at him. "Yes, well. I don't think he'll give up on me so easily. I won't be angry at you if you let me go back to the Academy and help me when he decides that he wants me back."

Hiruzen wondered what exactly Danzo had put her through. "Can you tell me...?"

She stuck out her tongue, and Hiruzen grimaced. He knew about Danzo's cursed seal, but he'd hoped he only used it on his actual Root operatives, not the trainees. "I promise I'll help you, Aoi-chan."

"Really?" She seemed suspicious. _With good reason_, he reminded himself. "Is there like a jutsu or a contract somewhere that will force you to keep your promise?"

Hiruzen smiled sadly. "No. But you have my word as Hokage."

She thought about it for a while. "I guess that's good enough." She leaned forward on her chair and smiled in an almost predatory manner, and in that moment she looked so much like her father Hiruzen had to blink to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "Oh, and I know the truth about the Uchiha massacre, in case you ever need anyone to discuss it with."

* * *

Mizuki held the girl standing at the front of the classroom firmly by the shoulders. "Good morning everyone. This is Aoi Momoru, she used to be in our class last year. She just returned from Otafuku Gai on her own, so please be nice to her."

The class was unusually silent. Some of the children looked at Aoi with curiosity, others with jealousy. The two orphan boys at the back, Daichi and Aris, were openly gaping, while Rock Lee gave her a hesitant thumbs up. Still, no one spoke a word. There was a feeling of dread hanging in the air, as all heads turned to look at Neji.

He got up from his chair, making it scrape against the floor, and pointed a finger at her. "She's never going to replace him," he said quietly, before walking out of the room.

* * *

She'd told the Hokage she didn't want to go back to the orphanage, so he gave her an apartment in a block inhabited by a majority of Genin and a few Chunin. She was pretty sure she saw Ebisu, the closet pervert with sunglasses, going into his own apartment a few doors down her corridor when she first arrived.

The apartment was small, and dirty, but one of the walls was a huge glass window that let generous amounts of sunlight in. The first thing she did upon entering was walk over to it and throw it open, feeling the wind gently draft into the room.

"Well, I'll be around tomorrow to make your food," her landlord said. It was part of the arrangement the Hokage had stuck him with and he wasn't too happy about it. As if cooking for his own kids wasn't enough.

"Don't worry," Aoi replied without turning around, "I can cook on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

The thing about civilians from hidden villages was that they weren't all that bothered about children doing things on their own. They were used to hearing rumors of four-year-olds graduating from the Academy and being thrown into the battlefield, so they didn't bat an eye when an eight-year-old ninja-in-training said they didn't need any looking after whatsoever.

* * *

Her sleeping schedule went out the window. In Root there was no choice as to when to go to sleep - they were allowed precious few hours to do it and Aoi wasn't stupid enough to try to stay awake through them. Before that, at the orphanage, she'd been mostly nocturnal, since that was the time when she could study without anyone bothering her.

Now she could do it any time she wanted. The only fixture in her life was an alarm clock set at seven-thirty a.m. so she could get to the Academy on time and her behavior that day depended on how much she'd slept the day before. Sometimes she was wide awake through classes, and when that happened she took a medical book with her to read under her desk, and sometimes her head hit the desk as soon as Mizuki started a lecture.

She never made an effort to fix it. There was an odd sense of freedom in being able to sleep whenever you wanted.

* * *

Apparently, they'd gotten started on taijutsu training while she was away.

Mizuki spent an hour going over the first Academy kata and then told them to pair up. The children moved with the ease of familiarity, Aris immediately walking over to Daichi and Lee waving at Tenten.

Aoi had never noticed Tenten before Lee had pointed her out, but the girl seemed nice enough. She was tomboyish and had a mischievous streak - Lee said she liked to make faces at Mizuki while he had his back turned.

Either way, it left two people standing alone. Aoi, who was new, and Neji, who used to pair up with someone who was obviously not there.

"So the Uchiha was your partner, huh," she commented as she went to stand in front of him. The majority of girls in the class seemed to only then realize that Neji needed a new partner, and stared at her in jealousy for thinking of it sooner.

Neji glared at her, then turned towards Mizuki. "I don't want to be paired with her."

Their teacher's lips thinned. "Too bad, because you're going to."

"She's really weak compared to Ruko."

"I don't care." He turned around, addressing the class. "Alright, if someone gets hurt I'll be angry. So no hitting. Tapping only. Off you go."

Neji's lips pulled into a small, cruel smile, and his pupil-less eyes seemed to tighten. As soon as Mizuki started walking towards another pair of students, he shifted his stance from the Academy standard to a lower one, with one hand stretched palm-out and the other held by his hip. His eyes tightened further and small vessels became visible around the corners.

Aoi watched with interest. "You're not going all Gentle Fist on me, are you?"

The first blow glanced her shoulder and Aoi immediately felt the disruption in the flow of chakra going to that arm. After a lurch, it went back to normal.

_He hasn't learnt how to block tenketsu properly yet._ That didn't mean there was no internal damage to the tendons and muscles from the chakra he'd jammed into the joint. It wasn't nearly as painful as the beatings she got in Root so she didn't try to heal it immediately.

_It's an interesting style,_ she pondered while he attacked again. _Focused on range and speed. The hands have more priority than any other possible way of striking._ There were very few kicks and no elbows in the Gentle Fist style. _It makes sense. _

It was obvious he was better than her. He'd been trained in his clan's techniques since he could walk while all she'd done was get miserably beaten up in Root for a year. He even deactivated his Byakugan after a while. "Hmph. You're really weak."

"I guess." She breathed in, holding her palm stretched open in front of her and mirroring his stance. _Alright, here we go._

Neji looked puzzled, then angry. "That's not going to work."

She managed to get him after a few seconds, on his side, but the contact was too weak and short for what she had in mind. Neji retaliated by jabbing his fingers in her solar plexus and all of Aoi's air left her lungs as they collapsed in on themselves. Mizuki finally noticed them and yelled at Neji for using a bloodline limit in taijutsu class, before ordering Aoi to the hospital.

Aoi took her time, strolling along as if she was in no hurry. When she actually arrived in the hospital the nurse who examined her gave her a questioning look. "Why did they send you here again?"

"Hyuga Neji used Gentle Fist on me."

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

"No."_  
_

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any real damage," she assessed.

Aoi blinked. Of course there wasn't any. She'd already healed it. It was nice to have the confirmation that she'd done it correctly, though.

"Rest for the day, but go back to class tomorrow."

* * *

Her reasoning was thus: Gentle Fist worked by injecting a burst of chakra into the opponent's chakra conduits and damaging the organ they surrounded. It required precision and speed, but no powerful damaging blows; just a touch was enough.

In her opinion, it was uncannily similar to combat medical ninjutsu. The only difference was that medical ninjutsu didn't target the chakra system but the organ itself. Only minimal contact would be needed for a chakra scalpel to cut through muscle and bone and have similar if not more devastating effects than the Gentle Fist style. Speed and precision were crucial, while power was unimportant, just like for Gentle Fist.

The trouble was that Aoi didn't know how to make chakra scalpels yet, but if she just managed to touch Neji she could send a wave of numbing chakra into his body and jeopardize his fighting completely. Or that was the theory, anyway. She'd found that when she got him on the side it was much more difficult than she anticipated to send normal chakra into his body, as opposed to pure Yin chakra. The clothes didn't help, either.

She frowned, absently toying with the chakra stone on her right hand. That would be a serious drawback. If she could only use combat jutsu while it was skin-on-skin, the areas she could target would be extremely limited. But the Gentle Fist used normal chakra as far as she was aware and it could be performed through the physical barrier of clothes so there had to be a way.

On a side note she wondered why more Hyuga weren't medics. With their eyes, their style and their chakra control, they had the most optimal conditions anyone could hope for. It was almost as if the clan had been made for the med-nin ranks.

Either way, the Gentle Fist was Konoha's strongest taijutsu style and Aoi's idea was to somehow adapt it to combat medical ninjutsu. She had no Byakugan but one only needed a baseline knowledge of anatomy to guess where the major organs and vessels were on a living body. She wanted to try that before resigning herself to Academy standard taijutsu.

_I guess we'll see._


	11. Manipulative

_A.N: Err... Haha. Thanks for all the reviews, they got me back on track._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Eleven

**_[manipulative: _**_exercising__ unscrupulous control or influence over a person or situation.**]**_

* * *

The class was unusually subdued for the weeks following the Uchiha massacre. The whole of Konoha was subdued, and for a while the topic became a sort of taboo, never to be spoken of in broad daylight. The fact that it had been caused by one of the village's most promising young shinobi added a layer of tragedy to the event.

By keeping the clans in the dark about the true reason for the massacre, the Hokage had managed to avoid potential civil war breaking out. Instead, it was the civilians who were uneasy. The dramatic reminder that a single ninja could cause damage on that scale awakened a wave of unrest among the population, manifesting itself with distrustful looks and petitions for more regulation in the village's training of their killers. The Uchiha clan had been comprised of civilian families too.

The Hokage dissipated most of the tension, though the Academy students had to comply with a few absurd rules for the following months. No using or carrying weapons except in bukijutsu class. Two hours of community service tasks every week, which were essentially D-rank missions they didn't get paid for. A new subject called Education for Citizenship more commonly known as 'the stupid civvie class' which they were terminally forbidden from skipping by the Hokage himself. It was taught by a civilian instructor named Hana who despaired a bit when she realized exactly how deeply the Shinobi way of life was ingrained in some clan children. "But Neji, surely she could have refused?"

Neji stared at her like she'd grown an extra head. "No, Hyuga don't refuse missions, even when they know they are suicide."

"But what if the orders told you to kill an innocent baby, for example? Or torture your family? Would you still do it?"

Neji remained silent for a while. "Yes," he finally replied.

Hana was horrified. Given Neji's family, Aoi wasn't too surprised.

The questions Hana asked would make perfect sense if they'd been in a different world, but here they just seemed terribly naive. Hana herself looked like a generally naive person, with pretty hair and wide, trusting green eyes. She probably volunteered in orphanages, gave money to beggars, and in general dedicated her life to making others' better. She wouldn't survive two seconds as a ninja.

Even the civilian-born kids made an effort to think like a shinobi would and not like their parents had taught them to all their life. "So suppose someone in your team was taken hostage," Hana asked Ten Ten, "and you could put off the mission for a while and get them out, or go ahead and abandon them. Which would you choose?"

Ten Ten gave the textbook answer. "Completing the mission has priority over everything else."

"But don't you care about your teammate's life? How would you feel if you were the one taken hostage?"

"If I was taken hostage," she replied slowly, "I'd have to remove myself from the situation so my teammate could complete the mission."

Hana paled. "How?"

"Well, if it's possible by freeing myself, or, you know, the suicide pills. Or running my neck into the enemy's kunai, or biting out my tongue. Whatever."

Hana's hands slammed down on the table and her voice came out in a screech. "They're teaching you how to commit _suicide_?"

The lesson wasn't very productive after that. They were supposed to learn about the values of a citizen, ethics, some philosophy and sociology, but it went over the children's heads completely. All the moral dilemmas she proposed they answered without the slightest hint of hesitation, not even questioning whether the ninja way was the right way. At the end of the day, Hana dismissed them wearily and put her head in her arms as they left the classroom.

When she lifted her head again a few minutes later, the quiet girl who sat at the back (Aoi? Orai? Something like that) was standing in front of her desk, staring at her with a mix of pity and amusement. It was an expression she was used to, but never had she seen it on the face of a child. The yellow eyes made the staring kind of creepy too. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering what you were planning on doing," the girl replied vaguely, mirth plain in her voice.

Hana sighed. They were alone in the classroom, everyone else having already filed out. "Did they really teach you how to commit suicide?"

"They taught us it was an option. '_When in possession of crucial information compromising the village's security, or in a situation where torture is the only alternative, the ninja may choose to commit suicide_.'" She blinked owlishly. "Some of the most important missions in history were only successful because someone stayed back to set up a suicide ambush, like the Second Hokage."

Hana slumped on her desk again, defeated. She couldn't believe it. Sure, she knew ninja died all the time, but... But... "Yes, but... They shouldn't be _teaching_ you that!"

There was a silence.

Hana could see what they were doing with these children - they were trying to turn them into machines, robots that didn't question orders, which was the exact opposite of what a classroom should do. Teachers were supposed to push their students to find their own answers, to think by themselves, to be critical, to be independent. Not behave like emotionless drones.

"If it makes you feel better, not all of them are like that," Aoi said. "Rock Lee wouldn't abandon a teammate and neither would Ten Ten, even if she claims otherwise."

She didn't mention the Hyuga, or herself.

"What about you?"

Aoi shrugged, the ghost of a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Depends."

Hana decided she didn't want to know. Ninja children were thoroughly disturbing. "Well, you should be heading on home. Run along."

"You still haven't told me if you plan to do anything."

"About what?"

There it was again, the mocking light in her eyes. Like she knew exactly what Hana was thinking and found it childish, or funny. "The whole thing. The obvious mental and emotional conditioning going on, the brainwashing, the manipulation."

Hana stared at Aoi.

"Though you should know, the Academy's not so bad. In fact, it's almost surprising it manages to produce highly competent ninja despite its _civilian_ methods. Other institutions are much more brutal."

That was not the way normal eight-year-old children talked, no matter how mature. Hana made a split-second decision. "Would you like to have afternoon tea with me, Aoi-san?"

"Alright," Aoi replied with an indulgent smile, in the same way an adult would agree to play doll house with a kid for a while.

* * *

Hana, as Aoi had suspected, was painfully guileless, even for a civilian. She was twenty years old and a regular teacher at the civilian school of Konoha. Her hometown was a small, isolated village near Otafuku Gai. She'd never seen a ninja before arriving to Konoha two years ago. She knew they were soldiers, but sincerely believed they were good people underneath, and only fought to protect the village, and never did more harm than was strictly necessary. In part this was because of the glorified image of the Shinobi ranks actively cultivated among the population, but mostly because Hana was a deluded, gullible idealist.

Her house reflected her personality perfectly. It was a small one-story home near the outer walls of Konoha, all pastel tones and lovely flowers under the windows. If Aoi had bothered to pay attention in the kunoichi special classes, she'd have learned that the particular combination signified "Welcome" and "Happiness."

The mug of milk she gave her had a picture of a pink flower on the handle. The woman sure tried to prove she was worthy of her name.

Aoi found the whole thing entertaining, which was why she'd agreed to spend some time with her. Hana was a rarity, a kind of person she'd never expected to meet in this world, much less a hidden village.

They talked about the nice weather, Mizuki and the Academy. It was plain the teacher thought Aoi was a weird, amoral little kid, but it only seemed to make her morbid fascination grow. Aoi sat through a few questions about her life up to that point, which she blandly lied about, before the woman finally asked her what she'd meant with her earlier comment.

"Well, there are some organizations who train their prospective ninja together for years, brainwashing them into absolute loyalty, and then order them to kill each other. It's like their graduation exam."

"But... The Bloody Mist stopped that practice about ten years ago... right?"

Aoi took another sip of milk. "Nah, there are still places like that, trust me. Ninja kill and die all the time, you realize." She wondered what her reaction would be if she told her about all the underhanded assassinations and unofficial missions going on in Root. She'd flip.

"But you're not ninja, you're eight-year-old kids. You shouldn't be learning about that yet. You should be learning maths, and playing with puzzles and dolls."

Aoi didn't reply, instead choosing to stare at her through half-lidded yellow eyes. "You're interesting, Hana," she offered.

That seemed to anger her. Whether it was the lack of honorific, the words themselves, or the detached way in which they rolled out of her mouth was anyone's guess. "You don't see anything wrong," Hana ground out, forgetting she was talking to a child as her anger rose, "with children dying on battlefields? With thirteen-year-olds murdering their entire clan?"

"Of course it's wrong." The whole shinobi system was wrong. It was geared for conflict, war, and killing, much like the military and weapons of her old world. "And it's wrong that people see it as a normal thing."

Hana was visibly confused. "Then why do you act as if..."

"As if I don't care?" Aoi smirked faintly. "Because it's wrong and sad, and I really _don't_ care."

* * *

Hyuga Hinata sat by herself in a corner of the courtyard, twirling her thumbs while she watched Naruto stand up to that bully again. He was a year older than them, bigger and stronger than Naruto, and seemed to be trying to steal his packed lunch. Hinata was torn between helping and staying put, because her father would be angry if she got into a fight at school, and besides the boy was kind of scary. Still, she really, really wished she was brave enough to help. Naruto wasn't a coward like her, he was telling him to go bother someone else.

"Hi," a girl's voice said next to her. Hinata jumped, not having heard anyone approach. The newcomer had yellow eyes and short black hair. She was pretty, though not as pretty as Ino. "My name is Momoru Aoi. I'm one year above you."

"Hi," she replied clumsily, not really sure why an upperclassman was approaching her out of the blue. "I'm Hyuga Hinata."

Aoi sat beside her on the grass, following her previous line of sight to the bully, who was currently grabbing Naruto by his shirt lapels and jostling him around. Hinata bit her lip as the urge to do something returned, not because of Naruto in particular but because she didn't like seeing people get hurt or treated unfairly in general.

"I could do something, you know," Aoi proposed.

"Wh-what?"

She gestured towards the scene. "That boy is my classmate. I could tell him to stop, if you want."

Hinata's pupil-less eyes widened. She wondered why the girl wasn't doing it already, if she said she could. Was she afraid of Naruto like everyone else? But Aoi just kept staring at her, as if waiting for something. "P-please?"

She smiled. It was too thin for a genuine smile, in Hinata's opinion. "First, you have agree to help me with my taijutsu."

"Huh?"

"I need a sparring partner," Aoi repeated slowly, almost mocking her. "Can you do that in exchange for me stopping Daichi?"

Hinata couldn't believe someone had asked her for help! She'd always been deemed useless by her family, and now someone thought she could actually help them, and an upperclassman no less! She would have said yes even if she didn't get anything in exchange. But Aoi didn't seem the kind of person to go out of her way for anyone without a reason, as proved by her bargaining. So maybe she could try to get something more out of it before she agreed?

"Okay, I'll help you," she chirped, "but you have to stop Daichi from bullying anyone, every time, not just today."

Aoi gave her a strange look. "Fine," she grudgingly replied, before unfolding from her seated position and heading towards the two boys. After a moment of hesitation Hinata followed along, trailing a bit behind, curious as to what would happen. Aoi's strides were lazy and unhurried, not picking up the pace even when Daichi grabbed Naruto's lunch and smashed it on the ground. Hinata let out a soft "eep!" but didn't dare ask her to walk any faster.

"Hi, Daichi," she greeted, without any particular inflection in her voice.

He grunted in reply, too busy pushing Naruto's face into the ground, who struggled furiously beneath him.

"If you stop bullying Naruto I'll give you some of my pizza."

Daichi let go of the boy. "Really? That weird cheese thing from yesterday?"

Aoi blinked assent.

"Alright, deal! You're awesome, Aoi. Where's your bag?"

"Class."

Daichi grinned and left skipping towards the building. "Oh yeah! Pit-zah! Here I come! I'm starving!"

Hinata watched the whole thing with fascination. That bargaining tactic really did work, it was so useful. She should try it more, it was the kind of thing her dad would approve of. Meanwhile, Naruto had stood up, picked up his lunchbox and started cleaning it with his sleeve. "I didn't need your help, you know," he grumbled, but Hinata could see in his shifty eyes how happy and grateful he was. Almost hopeful?

There was a pause. "Don't talk to me, monster," Aoi replied placidly, and walked away, leaving two shocked seven-year-olds behind.

"Uh-ummm... I'm sure she didn't mean that..." Then Hinata ran away, because the mask of bitterness that fell on Naruto's face scared her.

"Why did you do that, Momoru-san?" she asked when she caught up, still shocked and a bit angry.

"I don't want to be his friend for a lot of reasons. But it doesn't matter. Daichi won't steal Naruto's food anymore as long as I bring him pizza every day, and we had a deal, right?"

Hinata wasn't very happy but she did have a point, Naruto wouldn't get bullied anymore. Well, if she hung around Aoi for long enough she could maybe convince her that Naruto wasn't a monster but a brave little boy, and that stopping bullies was good. "R-right." She blushed, and a little thrill started in her stomach. This was the first time she ever did anything like this, that she ever succeeded at helping anyone. It felt funny, but it was a good feeling. Maybe if she kept bargaining with Aoi she could get her to do other good things.

* * *

The allowance from the Orphan fund came every Thursday and was only enough to pay for basic necessities, like food and clothes. Aoi didn't spend much in the way of clothes - she'd burned her Root uniform, but what she got in replacement wasn't particularly fancy or expensive. A few dark shirts, knee-length shorts appropriate for the warm weather of the Land of Fire, a jacket for the days it rained.

Instead she'd spent the money on expanding her library. Some scrolls she'd managed to wring from Mizuki, the hospital, or the village library, but others she had to buy, and they weren't cheap.

She'd just come back from the bookstore and had settled down on the dusty couch when a voice startled her.

"Danzo-sama expects you at seven a.m. tomorrow in training facility three."

When she looked up, no one was there, but her window was open.

Of course she didn't go to the meeting the next morning. She left a note to the Hokage's secretary that carefully didn't mention Root and headed to the Academy as usual. She left the Academy grounds with Hana and they went for tea again. Aoi stayed with her throughout the afternoon, until an ANBU with a dog mask and spiky silver hair poofed in front of her while Hana was looking away, and gave her a little wave. Aoi waved back. She bade her goodbyes to Hana and returned home.

She felt her tail watching her until she slipped into her bed. It was intentional, of course, to let her know she was safe. Since she woke up the next morning in her own bed, she concluded the Hokage had managed to keep his word, for now.

She spared a thought for Shin, who didn't have the luxury of his protection. She could bet that he and Sai were back in the organization's clutches by now, even if it was against his will, though she'd never truly established whether Shin was loyal to Root or not or what his motivations were.

It didn't really concern her anyway. She had enough with her own problems. The Sandaime wouldn't be able to spare one of his ANBU for her every time. She needed to continue securing her position in the village.


	12. Intent

_A.N: see you at the bottom._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twelve

_**[intent (adj.):** having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose.]_

* * *

Aris was probably one of the few who realized that Aoi had changed. He didn't remember her very well from before, honestly, except that she was lazy, boring, and didn't seem to care about anything. She just read and slept.

Only now he started to realize that Aoi was incredibly smart. Like, so smart it was _she_ who found _them_ boring. And that she had started to train with unshakable focus in taijutsu, and that she really was much better at any of the things she did at school than most people seemed to think, including Mizuki-sensei.

The first time Aris noticed something was off was when Mizuki-sensei distributed out a small black stone to each student. They were round and smooth to the to touch. "This is called a Yang chakra stone. You have to make it stick to your hand with chakra, but the chakra has to be made with as much physical energy and as little spiritual energy as possible. If there's too much spiritual energy, the stone will break. You can keep it to practice at home, but don't get your hopes up. It might take you a long time to be able to do it."

"Hmph, easy," Neji Hyuga said, holding his palm upside down with the stone stuck to it. It wasn't a surprise, really, he was good at everything. What was a surprise was the energetic voice shouting from the left side of the classroom.

"Yosh, I can do it too!"

Everyone turned towards Lee, incredulous. "What? But his chakra control's crap!" Daichi whispered indignantly. His own black stone lay in pieces on his palm, which were inching closer to each other to form the whole stone again. "Hey, Aoi! How come he can do it?"

Aoi looked up from the book she was reading under her desk. "He can only use raw chakra, so it makes sense." She reached out and took her own stone between her fingers, examining it closely. Daichi grumbled something unintelligible and diverted his attention somewhere else.

What was raw chakra? How did she know Lee could only use that? Aris continued watching Aoi as she furrowed her brows. She balanced the stone on the tip of her index finger and started to spin it with chakra, slowly at first and then faster. There wasn't even a crack on its surface. She nodded to herself, put it down, and returned to her book. "How did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"How did you get it to spin?"

She shrugged. "Dunno."

Aris glared suspiciously at her but she continued reading, seemingly oblivious. He spotted Neji frowning at them from across the room.

When they learnt their first jutsu - the clone jutsu, the easiest of the E-rank techniques - Aoi performed it flawlessly on her first try, creating a perfect copy of herself that blinked at the classroom once and sighed before disappearing. Neji was frowning at her then, too, which confirmed to Aris that she wasn't supposed to be able to do that. The next day Aoi was yelled at by Mizuki for sleeping while he talked. She got yelled at so often almost everyone still believed she was among the worst students in the class.

Aris himself was in the top five. He'd been working hard since he started the Academy and though he wasn't naturally good at the ninja things like some clan children, he was quick to grasp concepts and understand their foundation, and see how they applied in a practical scenario. At one point Daichi had said those were book-smarts and what really mattered was how much chakra you had, but Aris did little more than train and study to the point where he could generally keep up with the clan kids.

Neji was on a whole other league. When Ruko died, no one was left to truly compete with him, or so Aris had thought. Now, as he watched his friend yawn and scratch her nose distractedly, he wondered if the only reason the Hyuga was Rookie of the Year was because Aoi Momoru disliked all the attention.

* * *

The small grey rat tried to bite Aoi's finger off when she reached into the cage. She glared it down, gripped it around the neck and placed it on the table. It scrambled and made a squeaking noise as she rendered it unconscious with a small wave of chakra into the brain. The exact intensity of it had taken her a while to figure out, too much and the rats died, too little and they awoke before she was done.

She'd worked with rats in her other life, a project involving induced myocardial infarction, and her supervisor had been extremely insistent on the anesthesizing procedure. She supposed she could work with the rat still conscious but there really was no need to when she could fix it with a tiny bit of chakra. She suspected making a human faint would be harder, since their chakra systems were much more evolved.

She tied the rat to the table face-up with a bit of tape, and got rid of a patch of hair on the belly with a razor, exposing bare, pinkish skin. "Working hypothesis: animals, which have primitive chakra systems, should be much easier to heal than a regular human." She pierced the skin with a finely-sharpened kunai, drawing a deep red line all across the bare patch. Superficial cuts were no longer a challenge - she made sure to cut through muscle and nerves, and even pierced between the ribs into the lung.

She'd also thought of sterilizing the instruments but discarded the idea. Enemy ninja didn't sterilize theirs.

"Method: inflict a wound on an animal and attempt to heal it." She chuckled to herself. Her supervisor would be horrified at the lack of planning and clear objectives.

She took a deep breath, summoned Yin chakra to her hand and placed it over the cut, using the Diagnostic Palm first to gauge the depth of it. Then she felt around for the currents of raw chakra between the cells, and very carefully added the medical chakra to them. The result was refined chakra quite similar to what she was used to. She manipulated it into the edges of the affected area, watching with wide eyes as the cut closed under her palm.

"Hell yeah!" she cried, throwing her arms up in the air and doing a little victory dance in front of the table.

Five minutes later the rat still hadn't woken up.

Frowning, she used the Diagnostic palm again to look for a pulse.

After a few seconds she made a dissatisfied noise and sribled down something on a notebook. "Conclusion: death of subject during procedure. Further investigation is necessary."

* * *

"Hinata, are you scared of hurting me?"

Hinata blushed. She was one of those people who blushed with their whole face, not just their cheeks. "Uh... No, Momoru-senpai."

"Then why the hell are you holding back?" This wasn't the first time Aoi felt so exasperated with the little girl. As Hinata kept quiet, her eyes flashed angrily. "We've already had this conversation. I can't believe you're doing it again!"

Hinata looked down and fiddled with her hands. Her eyes were watery and her lips pinched. Aoi sighed, remembering that yelling at her wouldn't get her to do anything. At this stage she was little more than a coward and a crybaby terrified of hurting others. But she needed Hinata to go all out; otherwise, these sessions were useless. "My sparring partner in class is Neji," she stated more calmly.

"Oh, N-neji-san... Really?"

"Yes. So I need you to fight as hard as you can, otherwise I'll never be able to beat him." She bent her knees into the Gentle Fist beginning stance. "Ready?"

Hinata nodded and mimicked her, the blush still not having completely faded from her face.

It had been an uphill battle, to get Hinata to teach her the Hyugas' style. Even when Aoi explained that she was only experimenting so she could be able to fight using medical ninjutsu, Hinata was still hesitant, because the clan had always zealously protected the secrets of its bloodline limit. But Hinata wasn't one to break a promise, and after some more bargaining and feigned hurt Aoi got what she wanted.

The katas were slow and soft, requiring great flexibility, reminiscent of the movement of water. At first Aoi had stuck religiously to Hinata's indications, forsaking the Academy style completely. But then she'd had to adapt to the demands of medical ninjutsu - which needed slightly more contact, forcing her to use more grabs and throws, and explosive moves from the Academy to be able to quickly dart in and out of range. The changes seemed to put Hinata more at ease, even if the new style was still clearly Gentle Fist-based.

She was honestly astonished by what her child's body could do with a bit of training and chakra enhancement. Backflips, twists, all sort of aerial acrobatics worthy of a gymnast. Somehow she'd expected that attaining the level of athletic ability required of all ninjas would take a little more work.

It had taken her five months of daily practices to stand on equal ground with the Hyuga heir, and another month to win two out of three times.

Given that Hinata practiced at least as much as her, and had been doing so for years, and that Aoi hadn't had any sort of previous martial arts training unless one counted the beatings at Root - which she didn't; all they'd done was increase her pain tolerance - she supposed she had to thank daddy dearest's genes for that.

Still no word from Orochimaru, now that she thought about it, which was strange. She ducked under one of Hinata's strikes, asking herself again what the hell he was doing and why he'd suddenly decided to reproduce and why he hadn't attempted to kidnap her yet. If he wanted her body, which was still the most probable explanation, she would have expected him to train her first, like he did Sasuke. She'd dug out her memories of the timeline and established that he had a child's body that could have been hers at around the time of the Rookie Nine's Chuunin exams... But maybe he'd started doing the transfers before that.

She hit Hinata's arm, sending a wave of numbing chakra into it, then jumped out of range to avoid a particularly vicious side kick.

She couldn't remember much of Orochimaru's techniques except that he had a snake fetish and he could revive past Kages to fight for him. She knew that it would be virtually impossible to defeat him even if she had ten more years of training, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him for that long. Hell, she might be talented and have a precognition advantage, but he was, as the Hokage had put it, a once-in-a-generation genius with much more experience and knowledge in the ninja arts than anyone in Leaf, maybe even the Hokage himself.

Training, then, became an obsession. Her classmates were training to become Genin, but Aoi was training to survive one of the Sannin.

There really was no point of comparison.

One of Hinata's conditions to teaching her Gentle Fist was to spend some time together after their sparring session. Sweaty and exhausted, they dragged themselves into the market and Hinata bought ice cream for them to share. They ate in silence, one girl too shy to say anything and the other too lazy to bother striking up a conversation. Occasionally, though, Hinata timidly commented on the people or the scenery.

That day an old man across the street dropped the bag of apples he was carrying, all the fruits rolling into the street, out of reach. He bent down slowly and painfully, muscles straining with the effort, and started putting them back one by one. Hinata immediately stood up. "Momoru-san, let's go help."

"You can go," Aoi replied, making a vaguely dismissive gesture.

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, blushed, and closed it. Then she opened it again. "If you don't help me help the old man I won't teach you Sweeping Willow tomorrow." She snapped her jaw shut quickly and covered her face with her hands, hardly able to believe she'd actually said it.

Aoi stared at her. Her eyes moved up to the sky, and back down. "Alright," she sighed, getting up from the bench and picking up an apple.

Hinata smiled all the way home.

* * *

At night, Aoi walked up and down the side of her apartment complex holding a medical textbook in front of her face, using the streetlight below as a source of illumination. She reached the roof, blinked, and turned around, heading towards the ground. She was testing how long it took for black spots to appear in her vision, familiarizing herself with the depth of her chakra reserves.

It was relatively early in the exercise when a second set of steps came to be heard.

Aoi stopped pacing.

"Long time no see, Aoi-chan."

"Kabuto," she replied evenly, snapping the book shut and turning to face him. He was standing on the side of the building just like her, hands in his pockets and moonlight glinting off his glasses. His hair was longer, he wore it in a low ponytail now.

"My my, forgotten respect already? I've told you to call me senpai."

Fear and loathing churned in her stomach. The hairs on the back of her neck raised with dread and anticipation as her body screamed at her to run away or kill him. _This complex is full of ninja_. _If I scream, someone is bound to come. _She swallowed.

"Don't bother, the whole building is full of silencing tags," he said, as if reading her thoughts.

Yeah, right. Even he couldn't pull that off. Could he? "What do you want?"

"Danzo-sama's upset that you've been ignoring his summons for so long." He pushed up his glasses. "I've been ordered to bring you to him, by whichever means necessary. I do hope you'll come along quietly, Aoi-chan."

She wasn't going back to Root. No, not again. She'd built enough safety nets to ensure it didn't happen - there was too much focus on her, if she suddenly went missing her friends would notice and the Hokage would take action.

And yet Danzo had summoned her. Again. He sure was a persistent bastard. She'd thought he'd given up by now. It had been almost a year since her last summons.

But Kabuto was still standing there, looking casually relaxed and yet a dangerous aura emanated from him, menacing, the aura of a predator. In that moment Aoi remembered all the times he'd hit her for no reason other than to satisfy his sadistic pleasure and tasted the need for revenge in her tongue.

She wordlessly dropped her book, which sailed down the stories and hit the floor with a muted thump, and started gathering chakra.

Kabuto watched her, unmoving for a second. "Well, you give me no choice." He almost sounded regretful.

The next thing she felt was a sharp pain in her right shoulder which made her scream and drop to her knees. "Now now," Kabuto whispered in her ear, "I told you there was no use in screaming, didn't I?"

She let go of the chakra anchoring her to the building's side and started falling towards the ground. Her hands raced through the seals for the Replacement jutsu - she fumbled them because of the painful shoulder, dammit, and by the time she started again Kabuto was falling with her, his hand had engulfed her face, and everything went black.

It was only for what she assumed was a few seconds, because when her vision returned Kabuto was carrying her over his shoulder across the rooftops of Konoha. She couldn't move her body - she felt Kabuto's chakra blocking and paralyzing all her muscles. _It's like the numbing jutsu, only stronger, _she realized, and by the time he hit the training grounds on the outskirts of the village, she'd managed to summon an overriding wave of chakra that pushed his out of her system.

She could see a kunai hostler on his hip, so she reached down, grabbed something sharp, and plunged it into his side. The motion also cut her own fingers but it was worth it, as Kabuto swore and dropped her. Aoi rolled away from him, heart pounding erratically.

"Son of a bitch," Kabuto spat, holding a hand over the wound.

Out here in the training grounds no one would come to her aid. They were built far away from the residential areas so as not to disturb the civilians, and even if someone did hear sounds of fighting they wouldn't really come to investigate - it was the training grounds, that was what they were for. There was something about a curfew and night patrols but Aoi had no time to think about that.

_He hasn't seen me in a long time. He doesn't know how much I've improved or what I can do. That's my only advantage._

She jumped on him again before he could heal himself completely, but he just spun, grabbed her arm, swept her feet and pinned her against the ground.

"That was mean, Aoi-chan," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Aoi scrambled, mind racing through her limited jutsu arsenal, and came up with nothing. Taijutsu, then. Gritting her teeth, she twisted to kick him across the face. It was a costly move that sacrificed her arm to a shoulder dislocation and an open fracture at the elbow but she didn't have much choice. The pain hit her as she stood up, making her eyes widen. Yep, that arm was lost now. She tried not to look down.

Kabuto straightened a few yards away and pushed up his cracked glasses with two fingers.

* * *

Kakashi had the habit of compressing his chakra whenever he visited the memorial stone, simply because he didn't want to be found or interrupted by anyone while he was there.

The nightmares had woken him up again tonight. Even after so many years he still recalled with perfect clarity that moment, Rin's face, his hand plunged through her chest, warm and slippery with blood and bits of crushed heart. His failure, his betrayal, engraved in his his retina for the rest of his life.

The Stone was ruthlessly silent under his gaze.

Like other nights, he lost track of time in the memories of the past. At some point a couple of chakra signatures registered in his peripheral consciousness but he ignored them. Then one of them _spiked_, jolting him out of his trance because he recognized it. He'd been spying on and off on her for several years now, after all. His head whipped in their direction, ears straining.

"Son of a bitch!" A sound of scuffle. "That was mean, Aoi-chan."

Kakashi was in the training ground in less time than it took to blink.

The scene he found there was more or less what he'd expected. Two shapes opposite each other, the closest and shortest, Aoi's, clutching her shoulder with her opposite arm. The other was clearly older and masculine though it was hard to distinguish much in the darkness, save for the glint of glasses and the metal of a Konoha headband. A quick inspection revealed no other presence.

"A bit late for a spar, isn't it?" Kakashi asked, casually strolling closer. There was no official curfew in Konoha and hadn't been for over ten years, but wartime habits were hard to break, and most of the population didn't venture into the streets at night, even ninja. The midnight hours traditionally belonged to shady businesses and the ANBU patrols that hunted them.

Aoi's body tensed, then relaxed completely when she glanced back and recognized him. Huh. She'd only seen him a couple of times as far as he was aware, and in both occasions he'd been wearing his porcelain mask.

But Kakashi's eye never left the man on the other side of the clearing, merely cataloguing Aoi's reactions through his peripheral vision. He didn't recognize the signature, and it was too dark to identify him by sight, but he must have been at least high-chuunin if his chakra levels were any indication. There was a beat of silence, and then the ninja said, "Perhaps another day, then, Aoi-chan," before using shuunshin in the direction of the gates.

Kakashi didn't bother following. Instead he focused on Aoi, who was trembling and pale as a sheet. "What happened?" Her arm, now that he looked closer, had an open fracture at the level of the elbow, the bone jutting out of the skin. Ouch.

Aoi opened her mouth to reply, then got distracted by her arm. Kakashi saw her grit her teeth and push the bone back into the skin with her other hand. "Can you set my shoulder?"

He silently approached, lay his palm on it, and popped it back into place with a yank. Aoi let out a long breath. The lack of strained reaction told him she'd numbed the entire limb already. "What happened?" he repeated.

"Root wants me back apparently."

Kakashi remained silent, musing over the statement.

"Please take me to the hospital."

He gathered the child up in his arms, being careful not to jostle her arm, and took off. He'd have to report this to the Hokage in the morning.

* * *

_A.N: Meh. Things are moving along really slowly for what I had in mind. Anyway, Aoi won't have long left at the Academy._

_Someone's asked about update rates. I try to update biweekly but sometimes it just doesn't happen. Longer chapter to compensate._


	13. Predictable

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Thirteen

_**[predictable: **1\. Behaving in the expected manner. 2. easy to foretell, especially on the basis of special knowledge.]_

* * *

Ah, the last year at the Academy. Squealing twelve-year-old girls more worried about maintenance of their nails than their kunai; and boys, plus Tenten, in competition over who could burp out the whole alphabet. And everyone but Neji still had cooties.

To be honest, Aoi was almost glad for the two-day-reprieve the hospital stay granted her. She wasn't so happy about all the missed training. Win some, lose some, she supposed.

Her arm was in a cast, and would have to remain in the cast for a whole week after she left the hospital, during which she was banned from heavy exercise. While she outwardly grumbled about the setback she also admitted to herself it wasn't that serious. She was used to broken bones taking months to heal, so the recovery period felt comparatively short.

Surprisingly she got visits. The first was Lee, who kept pressing for details, not satisfied with her explanation that it'd been a training accident. He worried about the classes she was missing (they were covering the basics of tracking, apparently). His grandma also came along, that crinkly old woman Aoi had only seen once. She brought cookies and asked if she needed anything. Aoi vaguely expressed her wish to have some of her scrolls and books to distract her. Lee promptly left and returned within fifteen minutes, carrying half of her library in his arms and a cage sitting on top.

"I didn't know you had pet hamsters, Aoi-chan! What are their names?"

Aoi was mildly concerned. You'd think someone who was learning tracking would be able to tell the difference between a pet hamster and a rat. To Lee's dismay the cage was taken away by the next nurse who walked in screeching about hospital sanitary regulations.

Hana also visited. Unlike Lee she didn't ask how her arm had broken - she didn't really want to know. Instead she agreed to help Aoi with a bit of research she'd been putting off for years, by talking to the nurses around the hospital and looking for medicinal journals in waiting rooms.

The answers Hana came back with confirmed what Aoi had suspected since she got her first medical textbook. Diseases in the world of Naruto were uncommon. Or at least, traditional diseases - infections, hormonal imbalances, cancer. It was as if the body was sturdier, as if it could protect itself better against damage and function better as a whole. She also found out that these traditional diseases tended to affect civilians more than ninja, which meant there could be a link between the low morbidity and the development of the chakra system. In a way, it made sense. Chakra was like blood - it maintained homeostasis, nourished cells, healed and helped them grow. That it somehow provided a boost to disease resistance wasn't a huge leap of reasoning.

In contrast, genetic diseases were much more common, as well as diseases that affected the chakra system itself. There was a myriad of those: chakra hypo and hypersensitivity, Constricted Chakra Pathway Syndrome, Prenatal Coil Malformation which was what Lee had been diagnosed with. A lot of documentation on abnormal tenketsu and chakra pathway blockage, chakra imbalance, and chakra depletion. All very interesting and study-worthy.

Aoi discussed her conclusions with Hana, who did her best to understand her technical jargon.

The investigation awakened the desire in Aoi to find out exactly how advanced science was here. Technology wasn't very impressive. There was electricity, there were machines that looked like the ancestors of computers, but she'd yet to see an electron microscope anywhere. At least, biological _knowledge_ was more or less up to par, if not superior, to her old world, which was strange, because progression of science and technology had always gone hand in hand as far as she'd been taught.

Maybe she really shouldn't think of scientific progress as a unique straight line common to all civilizations; after all, the laws of nature were completely different here. Ninja might be nowhere near the atomic bomb or space travel, but they could recombine DNA, create whole sentient organisms from scratch, and possibly plunge the whole of humanity into a collective hallucination for an indefinite period of time.

Still, there was a significant lack of scientific community. The only areas of research Konoha was interested in were those that had direct application: medicine and weapon-making. And even then the research was badly planned and chaotic. They hadn't heard of the scientific method at all.

Aoi could sort of see why Orochimaru had decided to branch out.

On the second day Daichi and Aris showed up with more questions, more or less evaded or deflected. Aris helpfully brought his notes for Aoi to catch up on lessons. When Aoi was finally discharged at the end of the day, she went looking for Hinata and asked for a spar. The arm made her clumsy but she compensated by being unusually aggressive, imagining she was beating up that creep Kabuto all the while.

* * *

The Hokage puffed thoughtfully on his pipe.

"But if it wasn't you..."

The end of the sentence curled in the air like a snake. Danzo concealed the irritation he felt with a blank expression.

"We need to keep more surveillance on her."

"You can't waste your ANBU like that, Hiruzen. Graduate her early and give her to a Jounin." He would have offered to take her back himself, but he knew it would be opposed, and maybe not the best option given that one of his agents might be double-crossing him.

"I'd rather she graduated with a team. There isn't long left anyway."

Danzo didn't reply - his opinion wouldn't change anything. As an aside, the fact that Hiruzen had suspected him of the kidnapping attempt was insulting. Danzo was ambitious, but not stupid.

* * *

Maito Gai watched from under the shadow of a tree as the boy continued punching the log, time after time, even though the skin of his knuckles was split and every additional punch was no doubt painful. This was the fifth time he spotted him this week, training whenever he had free time between classes, and after school until the sun set. Yesterday he'd been practicing kicks while Gai went on his handstand laps around the village.

Truly, the Jonin had had an eye on him for a while now. His name was Rock Lee, a Nine Tails orphan living with his grandmother, and he had a problem with his chakra. He couldn't perform any of the basic jutsu, which was a guaranteed fail in the Academy graduation exam. Despite all his effort and enthusiasm, Lee would never become a ninja.

Something in Gai broke a little at the thought. The boy was the true embodiment of Hard Work, and the fact that he wouldn't be able to achieve his dreams anyway made Gai want to help, somehow. "A hundred and one, two, three!" Lee continued counting, oblivious to his audience.

His punches weren't good. The elbow jutted out when he extended his arm, and the twist of the wrist at the end was exaggerated. Gai had to suppress the desire to appear in the clearing with a magnificent Dynamic Entry and offer him some much needed guidance.

He was the only kid training. Admittedly, it was the only log in the Academy yard. The rest of the children were eating their lunches or relaxing in the shade, enjoying their free period.

Eventually Lee was approached by one of his classmates, a pale girl with short black hair. "Lee, stop for a sec."

"I can't, Aoi-chan! I must complete a hundred more punches before next period!"

"I want to try healing your knuckles."

Lee was surprised enough to stop and not protest when she took his hand.

Gai lifted an obscenely thick eyebrow. Medical ninjutsu? Normally the specialization wasn't started until Chuunin, because it required the fine chakra control that Genin lacked. But after a few seconds the girl gave a satisfied smile and Lee's whoop of joy was indeed an indication that she succeeded. "Amazing! Thanks to you I'll be able to complete two hundred more punches!"

"Yeah. Watch out, you're exaggerating the twist of the wrist at the end."

"Why do you bother?" a third voice interrupted the conversation. "It's not as if he'll actually pass the graduation test. There's no point."

Aoi looked at the new arrival, then away, as if uninterested. In an inversely proportional manner Gai's own interest spiked. He'd heard of Neji Hyuga as well, the Branch House member on his way to becoming a true master of the Gentle Fist style. He'd been dubbed a genius early on and his attitude reflected that, exhibiting the same arrogance and smugness as Gai's Eternal Rival Kakashi in his Academy days. He knew by experience that the genius types tended to belittle those who lacked their talent and underestimate the importance of Hard Work. If Gai were the boy's Sensei, he'd make sure to set him on the right track! Hm, now there was a thought.

"He can't become a ninja with only taijutsu. He's fated to fail." Neji's words seemed to weigh down on Lee, whose shoulders had slumped and head was bent down.

The girl shrugged. "Nah. He'll pass." She said it with such off-handed certainty that even Gai was inexplicably inclined to believe her.

"You really think so, Aoi-chan?"

"How, exactly, do you expect him to be a ninja if he can't even use ninjutsu?" Neji continued, ignoring Lee's hopeful question. "Some people are simply not destined for it. It is pure stupidity not to acknowledge one's limitations."

There was a moment of silence in which Aoi and Neji stared at each other. Both their postures were relaxed, but there was a tension in the air like a taut wire between them that would just take the tiniest of pulls to snap. Gai felt he was witnessing the beginnings of a Deep Rooted Rivalry forming and couldn't help but cheer mentally at the thought. Also, he wondered who this girl was, one had to admire her nonplussed attitude in front of the Hyuga genius. "You don't know what the future might bring," she finally replied.

"Why do you bother with him? He's not worth your time." The way he fixed Aoi with his gaze and completely ignored the subject of their conversation made it apparent that it wasn't really about Lee.

She just shrugged in her typical lazy manner and turned away from him.

"Clearly, you're not as smart as you think you are."

Aoi rounded up on him, smiling widely. "Neji, if all you wanted was a _proper_ fight with me you should have just _said_ so."

Gai flickered into the yard just in time to catch a hand coated in Jyuuken chakra, and the kick that was meant to swat it aside. "That is admirable enthusiasm!" he boomed. "But free period is not the time to settle this argument!" He let go of both twelve-year-olds, who scrambled back and looked up at him, wide-eyed. Gai let them bask in his Amazing Youthfulness for a second before continuing. "If you start a fight now, you'll miss class, and that is not the path to becoming a good ninja, especially when you're so close to graduation!"

Hyuga Neji recovered more or less quickly and muttered something like "Weirdo." Gai grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar as he turned away.

"Now, Hyuga-san, that will not do. At least acknowledge the Hard Work your classmate Rock Lee has been demonstrating!"

Neji seemed at a loss of words for a moment, then asked, in a disbelieving and slightly frightened voice, "Are you the Jounin Maito Gai?"

"Ah, that is heartwarming! I can't believe my Youthfulness has reached even the ears of young Academy students! Yes, I am Maito Gai, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" He had to drop the kid in favor of doing his Good Guy pose. His teeth _pinged_.

"Ah... Er... I must go back to class." Neji swiftly escaped.

Aoi was still gaping at him wide-eyed and seemingly in shock. She swallowed noisily. "I, um." She fled right behind Neji, tripping over herself in her haste.

Gai was vaguely disappointed but it was quickly forgotten as he turned around to see Lee staring at him with stars in his eyes. "Wow! You're so cool!"

Pride swelled in his chest. "Thank you! I must say, I admire the determination and effort you put into your training!"

Lee's eyes glistened with Manly Tears of Joy. "Do you think I can become a ninja?"

"Of course! With Hard Work, anything is possible!"

Lee had to leave for class shortly afterwards, but not before Gai promised he'd give him a few pointers in the afternoon. He pushed the boy during that training session - and Gai's definition of _light training _was already frightening enough. When he _pushed_, it was truly demonic - to test his resolve, and was astounded by Lee's vows to finish the exercise even when he was coughing up blood and dragging himself on the ground by his elbows.

That settled it. He was going to make sure the boy made it to Genin. And if the only way to do that was to become his Jounin-sensei, then so be it. It would be an honor to train such a student.

Gai decided he wanted Neji Hyuga on his prospective team too. He was convinced he could turn the so-called genius into an exemplary shinobi who valued more than just innate talent!

As for the third member... He had a pretty good idea of who he wanted that to be as well.

* * *

Extra: Lee

* * *

During the months before graduation, Aoi-chan started acting weird.

At first Lee thought maybe she liked him, like _liked_ liked him. Except her compliments were a bit unusual and honestly it was starting to creep him out. Yes it was flattering at the beginning to hear how _great_ his _red_ shirt looked on him and how _cool_ his fashion sense was and how it would be _awesome_ if it didn't change after graduation. But after she started doing it every morning as part of her usual greeting...

"Good morning, Aoi-chan!"

"Hi, Lee. I like your pants, they suit you."

"Nice morning, right, Aoi-chan?"

"Yes, nice. The lace-things in your shirt are really nice too, you shouldn't change them."

"Hi, I like your shoes."

"I slept well, thank you. I like your black jacket."

"Yeah, good morning. That leg-hostler matches with your belt, don't change your outfit when you become Genin."

Neji's fangirls complimented him on his taijutsu skills or his cool attitude or how good he was at the Clone technique. Aoi's insistence on specifically his _clothes_ was what made Lee nervous.

Then, as graduation neared, she started on his hair. According to her, the spiky thing it did when it reached his ears was super-awesome and made him look badass.

Lee, thoroughly confused and creeped out, settled for hoping it was a phase.

* * *

_A.N.: In my mind, Gai thinks with capital letters. Sorry if it's annoying._

_Someone asked about the Root seal. It doesn't stop the members from naming Root as an organization or admitting they're part of it (otherwise Sai wouldn't have been able to tell Sakura and Naruto about the seal itself). It does stop them from disclosing information such as numbers, methods, base layout, etcetera, in case of capture and interrogation by enemy nin. But they can communicate normally with people that have the same seal, logically, otherwise Root wouldn't be able to function. I had written a paragraph on Aoi's experiments with it and the freedom it allowed, but didn't include it in the end because I didn't think it necessary._

_Someone else asked about Aoi's taijutsu. You'll see more of it in future chapters. I know what you mean._

_Also, yay. Our favorite snake creep is on the move. Cheers to those who saw it coming._

_Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them._


	14. Ready

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Fourteen

[_**ready: **1\. In a suitable state for an action or situation; fully prepared. 2. Willing or eager to do something.]_

* * *

The Hokage was used to eccentric Jounin appearing in his office unannounced, though there was really only one who sailed through the open window head first, spun on his hands, bent his body so his feet were on the ground too, and then straightened, giving him a thumbs up. "Good morning, Hokage-sama! Nice day, isn't it?"

Hiruzen allowed himself an amused smile. In another time he might have been angry at the disregard for protocol and apparent lack in security, but it _was_ a nice day and Konoha was at peace, and those things had never stopped Gai anyway. "Yes," he replied, shuffling some papers on his desk. "Is there anything you need?"

Gai sobered, and immediately Hiruzen gave him all his attention. Gai may be extravagant and eccentric, but he wasn't stupid, and if he thought something was important enough to bring to the Hokage's attention, it probably was. "It's about this year's graduating class." He went on to ask permission to be appointed as a Jounin-sensei to Rock Lee.

Hiruzen nodded throughout the explanation, already thinking about who the other teammates would be. But the Jounin seemed to have his own ideas on this as well. There was no problem with Neji - Gai was an internationally renowned taijutsu master, one of Konoha's elite, an experienced ninja with an impressive mission record under his belt. The Hyuga wouldn't protest. "But I'm afraid you'll have to find a different kunoichi," he objected. "Aoi Momoru's sensei has already been decided."

"Oh." Gai's face fell. "I thought that, since she got along with Lee, they could have good teamwork. And as a medic..."

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe thoughtfully. A medic was indeed optimized in a taijutsu team, allowing the heavy hitters to go that much further in the assurance that someone was looking out for them. But Aoi's situation was delicate, and there was a better person than Gai to handle it. "There's another girl who Lee gets along with, isn't there? The one with the weapons specialization. She might complement the close-range taijutsu of the boys nicely. They'll make a good frontline team."

"Bukijutsu?" Gai piped up. "That could be interesting!"

The matter settled, Hiruzen returned to his letter to the Kazekage. He'd gotten disquieting reports about the new ninja village in the Land of Sound. The letter was a proposal for an intelligence exchange on the matter, but its true motive was to warn Sunagakure, because it was in Konoha's best interest for her allies to be aware of what went on close to their borders.

* * *

Aoi shifted the stone between her fingers distractedly while she memorized yet another diagram on the tenketsu of the hand. It spun around the distal phalanx of her index finger, the chakra being expelled from the inter-phalangeal tenketsu making it stick to the skin and move at the same time. Mizuki was droning on about the written exam rules, ignoring her even when she was plainly not listening. "If you cheat, you'll be expelled from the Academy indefinitely, and never become ninja. That goes for you, Daichi," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah."

Aoi put her book away and pocketed the stone when Mizuki started handing out the papers. The exam was multi-choice, but answering a question wrong would deduct from your points. Fifteen minutes in, Daichi tapped his desk five times. On his right Aris gave a defeated sigh and casually made his hand into a fist with his thumb sticking out. Daichi grinned and nodded imperceptibly, circling an answer on his paper.

Then they moved on to the practical assessment. This was done on an individual basis, so they all had to wait outside the classroom as their names were called. The students who passed were led to another room, while those who failed exited the classroom looking constipated or in some cases bawling outright.

Aoi dispelled the transformation and Mizuki waved her on without bothering to look up from his paper.

She stood at the door for a moment and then went to stand besides Tenten, after having calibrated the variables least annoying person in the room and number of steps it took to reach them. "Congratulations on passing," Tenten offered.

Aoi's eye fixed on her. Everyone else was trying to play it cool, as if it'd been a given that they'd pass, but Tenten had a goofy smile on her face. "You too."

"Free from school at last."

Aoi nodded.

"No more stuck-up Hyuga or squealing fangirls," she continued with satisfaction.

This tugged Aoi's lips upwards by a fraction. "You got it."

Daichi and Aris were the last on the list, since they lacked a surname. That would change now that they were ninja - they would be given the surname Himori common to all orphans of unidentified parentage that made it to the shinobi ranks of Konoha. Ultimately the surname didn't mean anything, since none who sported it were actually related to one another and it was more meant as a way for their fellow ninja to identify complete unknowns that ranged from being absolutely useless to possessing random kekkei genkai. There had been a scandal with a Himori suddenly developing a Sharingan once, which the Uchiha had desperately tried to stop from getting out but which made it to the rumor mill all the same. The name itself was (unsurprisingly) a combination of fire and forest. Aoi was pretty sure the other hidden villages had their own equivalent.

Daichi came through the door first, grinning like a devil, and immediately walked over to the girls and clapped Aoi on the back. He was as short as a year ago but much heavier, his muscles having filled out with training, and she had to stop herself from stumbling forwards. "I passed. Aren't I awesome?"

"Sure," she deadpanned.

Daichi grinned wider.

Aris shuffled next to him, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair nervously. He on the other hand had grown in the vertical direction, the training making him leaner instead of bulkier, his body shape more or less imitating a twig. "I wonder what our Senseis will be like."

"I wonder what my team will be like," Tenten said, putting emphasis on _team_. "At least you guys know you'll be together."

Aris frowned. "We will?"

"Well, duh, you've been doing drills together for the whole year, they're not going to split you up." She smiled. "Lucky. I on the other hand have no idea who my teammates will be. I hope I don't get Neji. Or his fangirls." She looked around the room with a shudder. Neji stood in a corner, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, while a few meters away a cluster of girls whispered among themselves and let out the occasional squeal. "It's sad that Lee didn't pass. He worked really hard."

Daichi snorted and Tenten shot him a look. "You should have been nicer to him. I've been sparring with him for the whole year and he's gotten much better." Daichi snorted again and she stepped on his foot.

He cursed and started hopping. "What's wrong with you?"

Tenten stuck out her tongue at him.

* * *

"C-congratulations on passing, Momoru-senpai," Hinata stuttered, blushing and looking at her toes. They were sitting on their usual bench in the market after their sparring session. That day Aoi had fought with one hand tied behind her back (and been thoroughly thrashed). The practice had been necessary, though. She remembered all too well the sound of bone snapping as she tried to twist away from Kabuto's hold, and the whole week after that when her arm was in a cast.

"Thanks."

By the way she fidgeted it was obvious Hinata wanted to say something else. Aoi looked up at the clouds and gave her ice-cream a particularly long and tasty lick.

"I-I guess since you're a n-ninja now we won't spar anymore," she finally ventured.

"Guess so."

Hinata's shoulders slumped. "Oh." There was a prolonged silence. Aoi stared at her sideways, an unexpected pang of guilt stabbing her side. She really had no reason to pursue this friendship with Hinata. There was little more the Hyuga could teach her in terms of Gentle Fist techniques, and as a Genin her training would be much more demanding anyway - she'd have plenty of other, more competent sparring partners available. To be honest, after years of facing almost exclusively Jyuuken practitioners she was itching for a change, for an opportunity to measure up her taijutsu against other styles.

And still, there was an attachment. She acknowledged that while the girl couldn't offer her anything of use, there was no real reason to avoid her, either. Hinata wouldn't be subject to any more danger than Aoi herself would. At worst it would increase her chances of coming across Naruto, but the two of them hadn't really started interacting until their Chunin exams and that was still a year and a half away.

Not to mention Hinata wasn't frustratingly loud or annoying. She also paid for ice-cream.

On the other hand, Aoi knew that the girl would be perfectly fine without her and turn into a decent kunoichi all on her own. Perhaps that was part of the reason for her detachment, she reflected. Knowing how the people she interacted with would turn out took some of the point out of it.

"I really enjoyed our-our practices." Aoi looked up, surprised. Hinata's face was so red she could feel the heat it irradiated from where she was sitting. "I-it... I think it really helped me improve too."

"Uh huh."

"My father doesn't know I've been training," she added, managing not to stutter on that one.

Aoi nodded.

"Maybe he'll be happy to-to see I've gotten stronger."

"I'm sure he will." It had been puzzling at first that Hinata had so much free time, before Aoi remembered that the clan thought little of her and had given up on her training some time ago.

"I gu-guess I just wanted to say thank you." She tilted her head forwards further, her short hair falling to cover her face. "For spending time with me."

Hinata was a sad girl, really, Aoi thought. "No problem." She felt the unexplainable need to pat her hair awkwardly before jumping off the bench. "I'm going shopping. Would you like to come?"

For some reason the way Hinata's face lit up made her feel even guiltier.

Shinobi were given a number of standard kunai, shuriken and wire upon passing the Academy exam. They were also given a single, simple storage scroll for inanimate objects. They were expected to maintain their weapons in suitable condition and, if they ever wished to expand their arsenal, make the purchases on their own. It was also possible to exchange used or damaged kunai for new ones at the workshop at the back of the Hokage tower for a minuscule fee.

But Aoi didn't head to the tower, she went to the few private shops downtown. The workshop was sufficient for the regular Genin, but anything that wasn't standard gear had to be commissioned to the civilian (or retired shinobi) smiths working in private businesses. The shop they entered was one of the smallest ones, with all sorts of unusual weapons hanging from the walls, from hooks shorter than a finger to blades taller and wider than Aoi herself.

She approached the counter in her usual lazy strides, Hinata falling behind as she gaped at the walls.

"Who is- oh, Aoi-san," the woman at the counter greeted. She was maybe in her forties, short and thin, which was not the build one would expect of someone in her profession; but the small body contained an unusually large amount of supercoiled chakra that betrayed her as ex-ninja. Her eyes shot up to the headband. "Congratulations."

Aoi gave her a blank look in return. "Is it done?"

"I've got it in the back, just a sec." The woman disappeared behind a door, with a slight limp and the clinging of metal every second step characteristic of a prosthetic. She reappeared a second later with a dark green pouch in her hands. "Here you go, your specialized medic kit. I drew sterilizing seals on the scalpels, like you asked, but the durability seals didn't work. You don't know how much trouble I went through, girl, I must have shattered at least ten of them," she added in a grumble. "You'll just have to be careful with them. The ones made of silver are on the left, the high carbon steel ones on the right, and the replacement blades are in the back pocket. The needles and thread are in the back too, don't know what you need those for, usually it's the civvie doctors asking for them. The senbon are in a separate pocket."

Aoi took the pouch and tied it around her waist so it fell over her left hip. "I'm charging you for the leather, too," the woman added with a frown.

Aoi left the amount she cited on the table and walked back out the door without another word. It was all she'd been able to save after six months of not buying a single book or scroll. She was penniless again, but she supposed that since she'd be doing missions and earning money soon it didn't matter.

"Uh, thank you, shopkeeper-san," Hinata hurriedly mumbled as she followed. Once outside, she craned her neck to look at Aoi's pouch. "You got a personalized set?"

"Yeah. The standard one is limited to battlefield uses."

Hinata wondered what _other_ use there was for a medic pouch but decided not to ask. They eventually halted when they got back to their bench. Suddenly Aoi's eyes were staring at her in all their yellow intensity and Hinata immediately looked down.

"I enjoyed sparring with you too." A pause. "See you around."

"G-goodbye." Hinata stared at her back as she walked away, a small smile gracing her lips, but sad inside because she knew they wouldn't really see each other like this again.

* * *

The following day everyone was surprised to see Lee sitting at his desk as usual, sporting a headband like the rest of them. Neji was the most baffled of all, though he tried to play it cool. It was obvious to Aoi that he was disappointed the Fate of being a Loser had managed to evade him. He relieved the stress by being more confrontational than usual. "I saw you cheating on the written test," he commented neutrally as Daichi, Aris and Aoi passed his desk, heading for their usual spot at the back.

Daichi stuck his pinky finger in his ear. "What are you talking about?"

Neji kept staring towards the front, seemingly bored, and with a snort Daichi walked on.

"I told you he'd pass," Aoi couldn't resist bragging.

The Hyuga gave her a stare of calculated indifference. "He will fail sooner or later. His teammates will be very unfortunate."

She just smirked at him.

When Team Gai was announced, Neji blinked. Which in Hyuga body language meant he was about to faint from shock. "Yosh! I'll be happy to work with you, Neji-san, Tenten-chan!"

"Team Three," Mizuki barked, quieting Lee's enthusiastic speech, the outraged shouting of fangirls who were demanding to be switched for Tenten, and Tenten who was demanding the same thing. "Daichi Himori, Aris Himori, and Aoi Momoru. Your Sensei is Shikaku Nara."

* * *

_A.N: Yup, still going slow. I'm trying, I promise._

_Thank you for the favs, but above all the reviews. They're awesome._


	15. Arrogant

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Fifteen

**_[arrogant: _**_having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.]_

* * *

"Fantastic. I get Scary, Skinny and Squirt." He sighed. "What a drag." Those were Shikaku Nara's first words and they gave rise to an apathetic stare, a raised eyebrow and a smug smirk respectively.

"Hey, Aoi might be a bit short, but she's not a squirt," Daichi drawled.

"He was referring to you, moron," Aoi deadpanned, at the same time as Aris said, "I think Aoi's Scary."

Daichi's face was priceless. He rounded on the Jounin, scowling. "Yeah? Well fuck you, smartass."

Shikaku's grin was roguish and with a tad too many teeth.

* * *

He wasn't a very physically imposing man himself. Rather on the short side, thin and wiry, he could have passed off as unremarkable, even with the two long scars on the right side of his face. One was an oblique line above his eyebrow and the other starting underneath his ear and climbing up to his cheekbone, in what had been a clear attempt to slash out his eye. But even though he didn't _look_ particularly threatening by shinobi standards, he exuded a kind of subtle confidence that so far Aoi had only seen in the Hokage. It didn't help that, as they walked, ninja twice as tall and four times as wide as him paused what they were doing to acknowledge him with a respectful nod.

Of all the people to be her Sensei Aoi hadn't expected Shikaku Nara, the supposed genius strategist. It was... an interesting development.

"So," he said, once they'd sat down in a circle on the grass of training ground four. He'd taken them straight there, with the excuse that the school grounds were too noisy. "As you all know I'm Shikaku Nara, your new Sensei. Why don't you introduce yourselves? Your name, your goals in life, all that. You start, Scary."

Aoi had never seen the point of shallow, formulaic self-introductions but it seemed to be a _thing _in new Genin teams, so she obliged. "My name's Aoi Momoru. I like medical books and sleeping whenever I'm tired. I dislike people who wear glasses. My goal in life is to turn eighteen."

Daichi stared at her. "That's really boring for a life goal."

Aoi shrugged and covered a yawn, pretending to be ignorant of the way Shikaku's eyes fixed on her. "Yeah, but I'm already two thirds of the way there."

"I'm Aris Himori," Aris muttered, nervously toying with a kunai. "I like pre-Konoha History and cool jutsu. I don't like thunder and lightning." Daichi cackled, apparently finding that hilarious. "Can it. My dream is to travel to all the shinobi nations. All of them, not just the five main ones."

That was decent, Aoi supposed. She'd never felt much need to travel, but it was a decent dream. Ambitious but potentially feasible, if he didn't get killed on his first few missions out of Konoha.

After a pause, Daichi breathed in. "My turn, huh? I'm Daichi Himori. I like Aoi's pizza. I also like the new apartment I got with Aris and taijutsu practice. I don't like Neji Hyuga though I think his cousin's pretty cute." Was he talking about Hinata? Aoi felt an unexpected surge of protectiveness. Daichi was a complete delinquent. He would _crush_ Hinata. "And I'm," he punctuated, staring straight at Shikaku, "going to become a Jounin and kick your ass."

_That, on the other hand, is a bit far-fetched._

"Good luck with that," Shikaku declared, standing up.

"What about you? You haven't told us anything."

Shikaku looked down at Daichi. His eyes were very dark and the threatening grin was back on his face. It was the grin of a shark who knew he was the most dangerous predator in that part of the sea and the only reason he wasn't eating all the little fishies was because he found them entertaining. "I like playing Shogi and looking after deer. I dislike overconfident Genin." Daichi scowled and lowered his gaze. "My dream is to see my son get married. I'm going to test you now. Come."

Aoi was the first to follow him to the center of the training ground, eyes half-lidded and gleaming with curiosity. The infamous Jounin test? Hopefully Shikaku Nara wouldn't use anything like bells. She was looking forwards to it; it was a challenge for the sole sake of a challenge, and Aoi had experienced a significant lack of those in her years at the Academy. He was supposed to be a genius, so this would be interesting if nothing else.

"Why do we have to take a test again? We already passed the Academy one."

"Shut up, Squirt. It's true that you're ninja already, but as far as I'm concerned you're only Genin Corps fodder." Shikaku smiled. "You're already out, so don't even bother trying. I want to see if Scary and Skinny are good enough to deserve a sensei."

Daichi glared. "Nothing's decided yet."

Shikaku drew a circle on the ground with his foot, ignoring him. "This is the enemy's base." Then without warning he appeared behind Aoi and pushed her into it. She tried to move, but found she couldn't and rolled her eyes downward. Yup. A tendril of shadow was linking her to the Nara, so thin she would have missed it if she didn't know what to look for. Her eyes moved back up, fixing on his back. "Alright, Skinny." He put his hands in his pockets. Aoi mimicked him. "Scary has been taken prisoner. Konoha med-nin are valuable, so it's bound to happen sooner or later. The mission of your team is to take her out of the circle. You have an hour."

Aris frowned. "Can't she just step out?"

"Paralyzed," Aoi drawled. Interesting, indeed. But she didn't buy for one second that Shikaku had chosen her to be the prisoner just because she was supposed to be the medic. It had been done for another reason, and the result of it was that she couldn't intervene, or help her comrades in any way - the only thing she could do was wait and trust them to do all the work. Unless she broke the shadow-binding jutsu by herself, but that wasn't going to be easy.

"Starts from," Shikaku looked up at the sky, "now."

* * *

The clearing was silent, the sun beating down on the earth mercilessly. The Himoris had disappeared into the forest surrounding the training ground as soon as the exercise started, to discuss strategy out of earshot.

"Hey," Momoru said. "If we're gonna stand here in the sun for an hour, can't you at least let me take off my jacket? I'm hot."

What they didn't know was that one of Shikaku's Kage Bunshin had followed them and was listening in, to relay all their planning back to Shikaku when the exercise was over. He intended to use it to evaluate them later.

"Come on, you must be hot too. Don't you wanna get rid of all that deer skin?"

"Not really."

Momoru seemed to deflate, although she couldn't make any physical movement to accompany the feeling. Shikaku looked up at the sky and the passing clouds, wondering when they would finally decide on something.

He reflected on what he'd seen of the three Genin so far. Orochimaru's daughter wasn't much different from what her report had said - mature, self-centered, and erring on the side of arrogance. She was supposed to have excellent chakra control and a large chakra pool for her age; the ideal conditions for a ninjutsu specialist, a heavy hitter in the frontlines. Like her father, really, which was at the same time promising and worrying. Maybe her choice of a medicine specialty was a good thing. Not that Orochimaru had left that area untouched either.

She seemed to lack his ambition, though. Shikaku was on two minds about this, because survival on the field was a nice, safe goal that wouldn't require her to conduct human experiments with Konoha citizens; but he also thought it was a waste that someone with her talent wasn't aiming higher. The lack of enthusiasm had been repeatedly noted as a problem by her Academy sensei.

Though as a Nara, he sort of sympathized.

Daichi Himori was short and had the generic features of all orphans boys around his age. A wild mane of brown hair, skin darkened by the sun, tough as nails. According to his report he had some potential, but lacked the discipline necessary for ninja life. His scores were average across all areas and he seemed to have some trouble with his chakra control, though Shikaku suspected that was more due to laziness than anything else. He'd make Chunin. Hopefully. If Shikaku managed to drill obedience into him.

The last was tall and gangly, clearly on the tail end of a growth spurt. He had shaggy blonde hair and green eyes that didn't usually lift from the ground. He was quiet and serious, but his Academy results proved he had drive, even if he didn't show any particular talent. Shikaku liked him best of the three. He'd go far.

His thoughts were interrupted when Aoi started straining against the jutsu instead of passively accepting it, trying to move her arms and legs. Not that it did her any good; he put a little bit more chakra into the technique and she stayed as she was. After a while, she stopped, and sighed. "I wonder if they'll show up soon."

As if on cue, Shikaku felt another pull of chakra, this time of someone trying to use the Replacement Technique with his prisoner, ineffectively. Not a bad idea; it would have worked if Aoi had been paralyzed by some kind of poison instead of a jutsu. Never mind that it usually took Genin months to realize that Kawarimi could be used with a person too. Skinny's voice shouted from somewhere off to the left. "Kawarimi doesn't work! Strawberry Jam!"

"On it!" Daichi replied. He and a clone rushed into the clearing heading straight for Aoi, but before they could reach her Shikaku's shadow clone flew in and kicked them away. The boy rolled back on the grass and stood, while his clone dispelled. "Aris, dude, there's two of him!"

Aris had already set off towards Aoi from the opposite direction. The shadow clone flickered in front of him and punched him across the jaw, but didn't make a move to follow through as the boy got up. "It's not just a clone..."

"No, I'm telling you, it's solid. Somehow. It can kick." Daichi had put a fair amount of distance between himself and everyone else standing on the clearing. Aris was quick to copy, resulting into them standing on opposite sides and having to shout to talk to each other.

"That means that the real one can't move," Aris said.

"Huh?"

"If he could fight us himself he wouldn't need to make the weird ass clone fight for him. Whatever jutsu he's using to hold her still, he can't move while he's doing it."

Aoi opened her mouth to say something. Shikaku's eyes slid towards her, and in one instant his hold on her shadow tightened to include the muscles of her jaw and tongue. Aoi's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply through her nose, the sounds dying in her throat.

"Okay," Daichi grinned, and threw a shuriken in Shikaku's direction. The shadow clone flash-stepped to intercept it.

"Nice try," Shikaku's clone complimented. So far, they were doing alright, but hadn't shown him anything particularly impressive. Shikaku himself yawned and brought a hand up to cover it, forcing Aoi to do the same.

"Stupid clone!" Daichi cried in frustration. "What now?"

"We still don't know how exactly he's doing it. I go for the real one to try forcing him to move and break the jutsu." Aris's voice was calm. His hand dove into his thigh hostler and came out gripping four kunai in between his fingers, green eyes oddly intense. "You push Aoi out of the circle. If we time it right, the clone will only be able to defend one of them."

Their gazes met from across the clearing and, without any visible signal, they both took off towards their targets at top speed (which really wasn't that impressive for Genin). _Teamwork... I'll give them a six, _Shikaku pondered as he deflected the kunai with one of his own. Coming from someone whose usual team was Ino-Shika-Cho, it was more than a decent score. _Strategy, five_. _They're on the right track but it took them a while to figure it out._

_Common sense, zero_. He effortlessly grabbed the punching arm and twisted, throwing the boy flat on the ground, while his clone flipped the squirt in a similar manner. Aoi moved as well, but like Shikaku her feet remained planted and unmoving on the ground. "Sorry, but no cigar," he told the dazed Aris, before chucking him away to the side. He straightened, putting his hands in his pockets again. "You should have tried to find out more before running straight at me like that." He looked up at the sun. "Thirty minutes left."

* * *

"Five minutes left," Shikaku said as he deflected yet another barrage of kunai.

By now they'd established that all they needed to do was get him to take a step in any direction for Aoi to do the same and leave the circle. Aris had lamented their lack of explosive tags or ground-rocking Earth jutsu to make him lose his balance, and had resorted to projectiles, while Daichi kept trying to get to Aoi through the clone.

Of course Shikaku and Shikaku's clone were going easy on them, keeping their taijutsu at low-Chunin level. They limited themselves to counters, never actively pursuing the boys once the first blow had landed. The clone alone would have been enough to kill them otherwise.

The genin were clearly tired, their faces battered and blue from the fight. They'd gotten up again and again after each clash, but they were running on fumes now, their exhaustion causing some of the weapons to fly way off-target. "Are you so tired you can't even aim properly?" Shikaku observed. It was a big flaw. He'd have to make them work on that.

His clone smashed Daichi into the ground again. The boy wobbled a bit, but managed to get up in time to dart to the side and catch the kunai Aris had thrown wide. "We aim...perfectly!" he declared, chucking it back across the clearing, but again it missed Shikaku by a whole two meters.

Aris caught the same kunai and that was when Shikaku spotted the glint of wire in the air, thinner than a spider thread. It had looped around him as the boys chucked the kunai it was attached to back and forth. "Now!" Aris cried, pulling on both ends of the wire. Daichi attacked the clone again, keeping its attention for long enough to stop it intervening in the maneuver.

"Yeah, that's slightly better," Shikaku complimented, jumping high in the air to avoid his legs from being trapped by the rapidly shrinking loop of wire. Aoi mimicked.

"Gotcha!" Aris yelled, jumping at him from behind. "You were using chakra as an anchor to stick your feet to the ground before, but you can't do that if you're in the air," he added grimly, before slamming right into him.

_Make that a six for strategy... Negative one for common sense_. As they neared the ground, Shikaku twisted in mid-air to get out of Aris's grip, and used him as a platform to push off and land exactly where he'd jumped from. Aoi followed the trajectory like a puppet on strings, landing neatly inside the circle, while Aris smashed on the ground with a cry.

Daichi encountered a similar fate at the hands of the shadow clone.

Neither of them got up this time.

"Time's up," Shikaku stated, expression unreadable. "Pity. You got pretty close at the end there."

* * *

When Aoi felt the tendril of shadow releasing her she stepped out of the circle towards Aris. He'd hit the ground at a bad angle that last time. When she reached him and he failed to respond, she quickly ran a Diagnostic Palm to check for major injuries, but found none. Just fainted, then, more likely due to chakra exhaustion and dehydration than anything else. She healed the biggest bruises and cuts and rolled him onto his side before moving on to Daichi.

He was perfectly conscious and trying to climb onto his knees, swearing to himself. "Fucking idiot," he spat. "Hey, I can still go, you hear me?"

Shikaku didn't reply. Aoi pushed him back so he was lying down. "Shut up. It's finished." He covered his eyes with an arm as she checked him over, his chest shaking with the sobs he tried holding in.

"Damn," he gasped, then bit his lip. "S-sorry about that. We couldn't - couldn't do anything."

She glanced to his face before focusing back on her task. He was worse off than Aris, who'd mostly stuck to long-range weapons. He had torn muscles and tendons, and a few cracked ribs, which she'd never tried to heal on a human before. It cheered her up. Lee was the one usually filling the role of unsuspecting guinea pig, but she hadn't gotten to bones yet. They weren't broken, just slightly cracked, which would still be painful but not impede his movements. She wrapped her chakra around it, coaxing it into healing faster. "I'm pretty sure you haven't failed, so chill. Do the ribs still feel sore?"

"A-a bit. W-we did fail. We didn't get you out. S-sorry." Tears streaked down his face, cutting a clean path in the dirt that covered it.

Aoi didn't bother correcting him again. She'd worked out what these tests were. Genin weren't meant to fulfill the objectives given to them at the beginning, those were just an excuse so they showed what they could do. Like in Kakashi's bell test - they weren't expected to _get_ the bells, they just had to show teamwork. Daichi and Aris had done well enough to pass. What she didn't understand was her role in it, since she hadn't been allowed to do anything at all. Shikaku must be planning to test her later, separately.

It had been entertaining, at least. She'd been genuinely curious as to whether they'd be able to come up with something, whether she'd be able to rely on them if a similar situation truly arose. The answer was not really, but they got points for trying.

Aris blinked back into consciousness, wobbled to a standing position and shuffled over to them, eyes downcast. "Sorry. I should have done better."

Aoi decided to extract herself from all the drama by flopping on the ground and pretending to sleep.

She tuned out Shikaku's predictable speech on where they'd gone wrong and his explanation of the Shadow Clone and Shadow Bind Jutsu, only smiling faintly when he tagged at the end, "But yeah, you pass." She also tuned out the exclamations of incredulity from the boys, but unfortunately they decided that grabbing her by the shoulders and starting to shake her was a good way to express their enthusiasm.

"Aoi, did you hear that? We passed!"

She opened her eyes halfway to glare at them. "Whoop, yay."

"Don't be sarcastic! Let's go eat pizza to celebrate!"

"Momoru has to stay," Shikaku interrupted. "I need to have a talk with her."

Daichi stared at her, then at Shikaku, then back at her. Finally, he stood up, and Aris followed. "Alright, then. See you later." They left the clearing shooting uncertain looks behind their backs.

Aoi straightened to a seated position, took off her jacket and tied it around her waist. The weather truly was hot, she didn't get how Shikaku could stand it in all that deer skin.

He sat cross legged in front of her, staring at her seriously. "What would you have done in Skinny's place?"

"I don't think asking me now is a substitute for the real thing," she observed. "After all, I've seen what has failed already, so I have less chances of answering with something that won't work." Shikaku kept staring at her, waiting. "Fine. I'd have tried to take down the clone first. It would have been two-on-one, since you'd be just as immobilized as me. And we'd only need a lucky hit in to dispel it."

"You didn't know that until I told you after the exercise," Shikaku pointed out.

"Right. I'd still have gone for the clone, it made the most sense. Or, I don't know, transform into a shuriken and have Daichi throw me at you to catch you off guard." It made her smile. Zabuza must have been rolling around in his grave. Oh, wait, he wasn't dead yet.

Aoi blinked. "So, do I pass?" she asked blandly.

"What were you doing with your chakra? You manipulated it in a strange way since the beginning."

"I was trying to understand how you did it. I could tell your jutsu was mostly Yin chakra, and as a medic I use Yin chakra a lot, so." She put her hand in her pocket and almost on automatic started spinning the chakra stone she always kept there. She'd wondered what would happen if two Nara clan members were pitted against each other, whose shadow would win then. "I was trying to put my Yin chakra into my shadow, to see if that did anything to hinder the jutsu. Except I couldn't distinguish the shadow itself from the surface it was cast on, and I ended up putting all my chakra into the ground instead." There was an expression of distaste on her face. Aoi didn't like not understanding things. She didn't like failing at things. And most of all she didn't like admitting her failures to someone else. "I just ended up wasting chakra."

To her surprise, Shikaku chuckled. "You thought you could deconstruct the Nara Clan's secret techniques in an hour?"

Aoi's irritation heightened. "I don't suppose you'll tell me how it works?"

"Unfortunately, no." There was a pause. "You pass. You didn't really do anything, but this only works by passing as a team or failing as a team. But the real reason I wanted to talk to you was your father."

Aoi froze.

"We have reason to believe he's already tried to contact you and will try again in the near future." Already? But... Ah. Then Kabuto had been acting on behalf of Orochimaru, not Danzo.

Well, shit.

This was bad. It meant her father had his sights on her already. A trickle of fear traveled down her spine, making the hot air seem suddenly cold. Her only consolation was that Orochimaru himself probably wouldn't be able to enter the village. Probably. Oh, who was she kidding? The Sannin could slip by Konoha's walls without raising the slightest amount of suspicion, if he wanted to. Even she could do that, assuming the Root tunnels were still functional.

Aoi was years away from being able to stand up to him or anyone he sent.

Not good.

A weight fell on her head. It was Shikaku's hand. "Relax. They assigned me as your sensei for a reason. I'll keep an eye on you."

That sounded as much a threat as a reassurance. "I want nothing to do with him," Aoi assured, her mouth dry. "I'm loyal to Konoha."

He smiled and moved his hand, ruffling her hair. "That's good to know."

* * *

_A.N: Wow, love your reviews guys._

_This chapter is kind of meh. Not happy with it, can't get it to stick together properly. I still have to get the hang of fight scenes._


	16. Isolated

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Sixteen

_**[isolated:** 1\. Having minimal contact or little in common with others. 2. Far away from other places, buildings, or people; remote.]_

* * *

The month of D-ranks was fairly uneventful.

They were every bit as boring as she'd expected. At least she got paid for them, which was reassuring since when she turned thirteen she'd have fulfilled the second condition for the withdrawal of the Orphan Trust allowance (the first being becoming a ninja. Civilians got to keep it until eighteen, the lucky bastards) and that way she at least had a thin cushion to fall back on. It wouldn't be enough to pay for even her rent, but hopefully they'd switch to C-ranks soon. They paid much better. Sometimes Aoi spotted the twenty-something-year-olds of the Genin Corps running around, herding rubbish and cleaning up training grounds, and was glad she was spared that fate.

Other than that, the missions provided some insight on the day-to-day running of the village (giving the answer to the question of who cleaned the public bathhouses, handled waste storage and disposal, and sharpened the Workshop's blunt kunai to get them back to battlefield standards) and somewhat strengthened the teamwork of Team Shikaku, with Aris always dutifully completing the tasks he was assigned before turning back to watch Shikaku _motivate_ Daichi and Aoi to do the same.

Unfortunately, pleading an episode of flu only worked for one day. The second day Shikaku kicked open the door to her apartment and caught her meditating on the ceiling, and from then on the excuse became unusable. So did Cryptosporidiosis, strep throat, and everything in the family of I-have-a-medical-condition-itis. Shikaku seemed to have lots of experience forcing lazy people to work. Aoi wasn't happy.

"I could die, you know. And it'll be your fault."

"Hmmm."

"I'm not joking. Yellow Fever is severe. And contagious. You should trust the medic."

"What does that one do?" Daichi asked, straining to pull out another weed.

"It makes you bleed from the mouth, eyes, and nose, and turns your skin yellow."

"I liked the worm that made you go blind better."

"Onchocerciasis?"

"Yeah, that one."

Due to the low incidence of disease in the Fire Country, and their non-existent contact with any serious epidemics, her team believed she was making them up. Shikaku seemed to look forwards to hearing her excuse of the day now, just for the entertainment value.

They also trained, every afternoon after their mission. Shikaku stressed the importance of teamwork. He often had them team up against him, and sometimes repeated the exercise of their test - trapping one teammate in his Shadow Bind jutsu and watching the other two come up with ways they could circumvent it. The difficulty kept increasing, with Shikaku creating more clones each time, decreasing the time limit and becoming more liberal in his use of techniques and weapons. He firmly believed that even a greatly superior enemy could be vanquished with a good strategy, and taught them to fight _smarter_. It was different from anything they'd done at the Academy and Aoi welcomed the challenge. They hadn't been able to get him yet, even three on one, but they improved every time.

* * *

"Now, Daichi!"

He grinned ferociously, charging at Shikaku with a kunai. "This is the time we get you, smartass!"

A white cloud of smoke suddenly appeared in the middle of the training ground, and something green shot out from it with an enthusiastic cry of "Greetings, Team Shikaku!" Aoi lost her concentration and fell into the water with a splash, while Daichi tripped and landed on his face, nearly impaling himself with his own kunai.

Gai shattered reality every time he entered a scene. It was like, his thing.

"Good afternoon, Gai," Shikaku replied, completely nonplussed. "To what do we owe your presence?"

Gai's chest inflated to prepare for his speech. "Well, my team was training youthfully in the training ground next to this one, and then I heard the sounds of your team in the middle of sparring practice! So I thought, why not have a joint sparring session? That way each team can practice their techniques on an opposing force of a similar level! What do you say?"

Gai's Genin were indeed trailing behind him, Lee smiling and waving at Aoi, Neji muttering something like "Similar level, yeah right" while Tenten just seemed tired. "Alright, it could be interesting," Shikaku agreed.

Gai's smile widened brilliantly while he pushed his Genin forwards with enthusiasm. He was looking forwards to this! "Make me proud, team! But no fatal injuries!"

"Don't worry, Sensei!" Lee chirped. "We'll take care of our fellow Genin!" Gai gave him a thumbs up, and Lee mimicked the pose. The green jumpsuit fit the boy nicely! Gai had been disheartened when his other two students refused to wear it, but Lee's youthful passion made up for it!

Aoi had dragged herself out of the river bisecting the training ground, clothes and hair dripping and forming a puddle at her feet. She did a double take when she saw Lee's new outfit. "N-no..." she breathed, face paling.

Tenten sighed theatrically. "Sorry, Momoru. I did everything I could."

"So, we're sparring you guys now?" Aris asked, walking closer.

"It would appear so! Let's have a good match!"

Shikaku shuunshined to stand next to Gai, watching the scene from a safe distance. "I don't want any serious injuries from you three either, got it?"

"Heh. Like they could injure us," Neji said, smirking. There was a silence in which all that could be heard was the splashing of water as Aoi wrung her clothes. Slowly she looked up, eyes fixing on him.

"Guys, I dibs Princess," she stated, lips stretching into a predatory grin.

"Gotcha. We'll take the other two." Aris spun a kunai around his finger. Tenten narrowed her eyes at him.

Gai sighed wistfully. Oh, how he missed the youthful trash-talk. His Eternal Rival Kakashi didn't bother with it anymore, and most enemy ninja never lasted quite long enough for it. Then the genin were at each others' throats, Neji rapidly engaging with Momoru while the Himoris swapped kunais and spread wide, encasing Lee and Tenten in a pincer attack.

"Your team is fast," Gai complimented.

Shikaku nodded. "So is yours."

Gai focused on Momoru, who was using a very unorthodox taijutsu style. It seemed like some bastardized version of Gentle Fist, with the same characteristic fluidity and upper body movement, but more dynamic involvement of the legs, and a wider range of moves including flips, grabs and throws. It wasn't nearly as smooth and elegant as Jyuuken, but it was more unpredictable and versatile. Gai had never seen anything like it. It put Neji on edge, too. He jumped into the fight with a fully-activated Byakugan and a clear intent to target the main chakra gates despite the warning not to seriously hurt.

And yet Aoi Momoru managed to dodge or deflect almost everything he threw at her, and what she couldn't, she matched blow for blow.

Gai was impressed. Shikaku followed his line of sight, guessing at his thoughts. "She's tailored it to fit the demands of iryo-ninjutsu," he explained. "She has a jutsu that she's derived from anesthetizing techniques to disrupt sensory input to the brain. It's not as efficient as targeting the chakra system, but if she lands it on the chest or head it can stun, cause blindness or even unconsciousness. It works with only a glancing blow, too."

Gai nodded. He watched as she disengaged to race through seals for three consecutive Replacements, finally appearing at Neji's back, who had to resort to his Revolving Heaven to block her. According to him, the technique was still incomplete - that was what he'd told Gai at one point - but it did its job, knocking her away into the river. After a few seconds Aoi resurfaced and climbed on top of the water, frowning.

Meanwhile Tenten and Lee were struggling against the Himoris. Gai prided himself in his Genin's teamwork, but there was something in the way Shikaku's boys fought that made it look like they were always a step ahead. Somehow, the usually deadly combination of Lee in front and Tenten at the back didn't seem to work with those two. Aris especially had a keen grasp on the versatility of the basic jutsu, even using Kawarimi with Daichi at one point to switch opponents, and his taijutsu was decent if a bit slow.

Lee was faster, and Tenten more proficient with kunai, shuriken and wire, but by the time Shikaku decided to end the fight, they still looked more battered than their opponents.

Well! Gai decided. That was not acceptable! "Thank you for this opportunity, Team Shikaku! I have concluded we'll need to train harder!"

Tenten groaned. Neji glared at Momoru. Lee struck a pose. "Yes, Gai-sensei! I'm looking forwards to it!"

Gai smiled. Oh, how he loved his little Genin.

* * *

Despite everything Aoi was alone.

Sometimes, she sat down on the bench overlooking the marketplace, the same one she and Hinata used to eat ice cream at, and she looked at the people bustling around like ants in a colony, each with their own little problems and worries. Those were the moments when she felt remarkably like a stranger in a stranger's body, living a life stolen from someone else. She knew she didn't belong there. She knew she wasn't even supposed to exist, she knew exactly how the world would turn out if she didn't exist. She felt like an intruder. She should be dead.

It angered her because those thoughts had no practical application, no use whatsoever, and were more unnerving and depressing than anything else.

But she couldn't help from thinking about the mystery of her current life and reality in general. Others might have been too frightened to look for an explanation, might have simply contented themselves with adapting and moving on, but Aoi was a scientist at heart and she found that attitude _weak_. She wasn't afraid of delving into philosophical conundrums and when the mood struck her it became almost inevitable.

She thought about her old world, pondered the possibilities of a meta-reality in which the past, present and future of all other realities were written and set with ink on paper and couldn't help but snort at the idea.

She couldn't deny that she was experiencing a reality that had been created in the brain of a middle-aged Japanese man. She wondered if that meant her old world, which had felt just as real to her, was too only a figment of someone else's imagination. She wondered if every one of _her_ thoughts gave birth to a new reality existing in some other dimension. Or indeed she wondered if these realities were independent of the entity that thought them, and the ideas that sprung in the mind of an author were in fact creating themselves, and truly existed on their own.

But that didn't explain how she'd _switched_.

Reincarnation was out. Dying and being born again in a different universe? Even if that was what it felt like, it was absurd and impossible. Reincarnation into a reality she already knew the future of was even more ridiculous.

Much easier to reconcile was the notion that her existence here was a coma-induced dream from the other side.

That meant there was really only one reality, the old one, and this was just an enormous fictional construct her brain had thought up to amuse itself. It was reassuring. It meant law-defying jutsu, alternate dimensions and souls did not, in fact, exist. But this brought her to a different problem, which was that if her subconscious was capable of inventing an entire fictional life in a story world from zero, who could be sure that her _old_ life wasn't also a fiction dreamed up by a higher version of herself?

If Aoi had invented these people with a predestined future, who could assure her that she herself was not just a fictional character in someone else's story, whose future was already decided, in a similar manner as Naruto's future was?

At this point Aoi lost her footing and was swept up in a river of anger at the Universe, because it wasn't fair that the answers were out of her grasp, the grasp of human comprehension.

She vented out the frustration by grabbing the closest object within range, which happened to be her ice-cream wrapper, and tearing it to tiny little bits (with the aid of chakra since she was training to make chakra scalpels), but it didn't do anything to make her feel better.

When she looked up again she recognised a familiar face in the crowd. It was Hana, the civilian teacher who'd unsuccessfully tried to instill some ethics and common sense into her graduating class, and who was possibly just another of Aoi's mental constructs. Aoi watched as she bought her vegetables, smiling and laughing with the store clerk, then turned around and did a double-take when she spotted her former student sitting there.

"Aoi-chan?" she asked, walking closer. Her eyes lifted to her forehead and her smile dimmed slightly. "Oh, so you became a ninja in the end. Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

"You're a terrible liar, Hana."

Hana sighed and gestured to the bench. "Do you mind if I sit? We haven't talked for some time."

Aoi moved her head in what could be considered assent, her eyes still lost in the distance.

"So," Hana started after a long silence. "What does it feel like, to finally be a kunoichi of Konoha?" She wasn't very enthusiastic about the topic, only asking because she thought it was something Aoi would like to talk about. The girl seemed distracted, gazing off into space without really seeing anything there. This was the first time she saw her like this.

Aoi was indeed on another train of thought entirely. "What do you think about life, Hana?" Upon Hana's startled silence she added, "Sometimes I wonder if all this," she gestured vaguely in front of her, "is actually real. I wonder if I'm not really someone else stuck in a dream, waiting to wake up."

Hana struggled with words for a moment. She liked teaching and helping others. She liked giving children the answers they were looking for, or at least help them find them. But right then Aoi seemed so distant and lonely and Hana didn't know what to say. What was one supposed to answer to that? You're experiencing dissassociation with reality, snap out of it? She decided to go for the safe route of not actually answering. "A dream?"

"Yes. Sometimes I think I'm dreaming. Other times I think _I_ might be a dream." She blinked, her eyes coming back into focus, and sighed. "Never mind. It's stupid."

Hana stared at her for a while. "There's something I'd like to show you. Would you mind coming with me?"

They headed towards the Hokage mountain. Aoi didn't ask why, choosing instead to be amused by the intent look on Hana's face and her determined strides as they climbed. It took them a full hour to get to the top - Aoi could have done it in ten minutes, but it was good time by civilian standards. By the time they arrived the sun was setting, casting its orange rays on Konoha and tainting the sky purple, yellow and red.

Hana smiled, her features softening into something beautiful. A fresh breeze combed through her hair and made her white sundress flutter in the wind. "Look," she said, gesturing towards the landscape spreading at their feet. Aoi approached the edge of the cliff and glanced down to the buildings and the streets of Konoha, which seemed to shimmer in the twilight.

"Whether it's real or not," Hana spoke, so softly it was almost a whisper, "you're alive now. Here. That's what matters. And even if it is a dream," she added, "then you're very lucky to be dreaming something so beautiful."

Aoi nodded mutely, taking in the sight, the feel of air in her lungs and chakra pulsing through her body, and thought that maybe Hana was right.

* * *

_A.N: So many people have asked me about Naruto. I was hoping it would explain itself but clearly I wasn't explicit enough. Aoi doesn't hate him personally, he's just a sad orphan kid. But she doesn't want to have anything to do with him and his future problems (she has enough of her own) so she uses the general 'hate Naruto' atmosphere of Konoha as an excuse to distance herself from him._

_Wheeeeeeee! Have a cookie._


	17. Afraid

_A.N: S__orry but I really couldn't get this out sooner, I'm in the middle of exams, fighting tooth and nail for an uncertain future. It has been a difficult campaign full of loss and sacrifice but I will survive. (Don't kill me.)_

_(Also, check out the Omake written by K as a review for Ch.3. It's hilarious)._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Seventeen

**_[afraid:_**_ filled with fear or apprehension.__]_

* * *

Orochimaru put down his brush and folded and unfolded his fingers, frowning. The characters across the page were tilted and shaky, not at all like the smooth, clean strokes he'd been expecting. It was upsetting, to find that even after so long he still lacked control over fine motor functions. He'd hoped a younger host would accommodate him more easily, but the rejection was still there.

And he knew it would remain, if this second body was to be anything like the first. Initially, the body would adapt to tolerate the change and regain proper function with practice, but after some time, and for no reason that Orochimaru could fathom, it would start shutting itself down. It went against all his predictions - theoretically, he should be able to live out its whole lifespan, not be forced to switch after a few years. It was a major drawback which he hadn't anticipated and needed to find a solution to. As soon as possible. Losing his carefully-chosen first host body had been upsetting enough.

He'd nearly gone into a fit of rage and destroyed the Ryuchi Cave when he'd discovered he was unable to enter Sage Mode due to the discordance between the host body and his soul. Not to mention the greatly diminished amount of physical energy he could draw on, barely a fraction of what he'd been able to summon in his original body. And the boost of spiritual energy he'd expected due to absorbing someone else's soul was not there, for a reason he had yet to figure out.

Admittedly, the soul transfer itself had been a success. But it was irritating and disappointing that his decades of research had yielded such _average_ results.

The current body was that of a ten-year-old girl he'd found in one of the farmhouses dotting the countryside of Sound. He hadn't really had a choice - it was the only one he could find that was compatible in short enough notice, after a fulminant shut-down of the first body's basic functions. He'd been away from Otogakure at the time, and though he'd known it had been deteriorating he'd thought he'd still have time to make it back to pick a more appropriate container.

He supposed he should be grateful that he'd found the girl on time.

Though the fact that he would have to _train_ all over again, and even then he wouldn't be halfway up to his old standards, was enough to put him in a very bad mood.

Normally, going down into the lab and tormenting his subjects helped. Not this time. He was just as irritated when he put down the bloody scalpel as when he'd picked it up.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" The voice was high-pitched and feminine, clashing with the stark commanding tone.

Kabuto, who'd walked in some time earlier and just stood in a corner of the lab, finally stepped forwards, pushing up his glasses. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Orochimaru-sama. I'm here to submit the latest report from Konoha."

"Go on." He tore his slippery, bloody gloves off and chucked them on top of the face-up figure on the examination table. It twitched, but didn't make a sound.

"We've intercepted a second missive to Suna's Kazekage," Kabuto said. "This one was much better guarded than the first and contains all the information he has on Otogakure."

Orochimaru grinned, his lips stretching across his cheeks like a knife, pupils narrowing into vertical slits. The expression was disturbing on the young face. "And?" The plans to infiltrate Suna would have almost certainly been thwarted if Konoha's warning missives had actually gotten there. The Sandaime might have been old and stupid, but not enough to ignore the appearance of a whole new ninja village at his border, or the suspicious movements of its shinobi towards the North. Orochimaru wasn't stupid either, which was why he'd been watching the correspondence closely.

The first letter of warning to Suna had been intercepted before it even left Konoha. They'd forged a reply agreeing to the information exchange.

"They don't know much about the village," Kabuto replied dismissively. "Only what we've let out. They have no spies among us, though the letter did mention the possibility of starting to send some. What should we reply?"

Orochimaru thought about it. "Tell him that the Kazekage finds the measure prudent and will do the same thing. Anything else would sound suspicious. Leak some false information on our numbers as well." He'd write the letter himself, but his calligraphy wasn't Kage-worthy at the moment, and his subordinate was good at forging handwriting. "Anything else?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Aoi-san is leaving the village on her first C-Rank tomorrow," Kabuto added. "They're traveling to the Land of Hot Springs."

Orochimaru nodded, thoughtfully looking down at his hands. They trembled slightly against his will. He forced some chakra into the under-developed network and the trembling stopped.

"Well," he said, the grin on his face again, "I suppose it's about time she finally meets me, don't you agree?"

* * *

Shikaku waited patiently at the gate for the members of his team and his client to arrive. Their first C-Rank was supposed to be a straight-forward escort mission to the Land of Hot Springs. Their client was the Daimyo's very distant cousin who was going there to visit a friend. Peaceful and with minimal danger, since Konoha had good relations with the small village of Yugakure and they would be in friendly territory at all times.

The first to arrive was, surprisingly, Aoi. Shikaku was instantly on his guard. Aoi would never wake up earlier than she had to unless she had a good reason.

"Good morning, Sensei," she greeted, lazily striding over to stand next to him. She had a small, compact backpack on her shoulders as well as the medic pouch she'd taken to wearing at her hip. So far Shikaku had only seen her take out senbon from it.

"Good morning, Aoi," he replied agreeably. "How strange to see you up early."

She glanced at the road leading out of the city before sighing. "I'm not sure about this mission, Sensei."

"If you're worried about your father, don't be. We may be leaving Konoha but we'll still remain within friendly territory and there are guard posts along our itinerary, with patrols running frequently between them. And I'm going to be with you at all times. You're as safe as you can be."

She shot him a look. "Not to doubt your competence, Sensei, but I doubt Orochimaru of the Sannin will be deterred by that."

Of course, she was right. But it wouldn't be good for her to go out into the field believing that. Aoi Momoru had to start taking C-Ranks at one point or another and while it was a good thing to be on the lookout for danger, he couldn't have her in a constant state of paranoia every time she stepped outside the gates.

He turned and looked her in the eye. "I swore I'd keep you safe. Do you trust me?"

Aoi stared back for a long moment. They held each other's gaze without blinking. "Yes."

He relaxed and they continued waiting for the rest of their group in silence.

* * *

The Daimyo's cousin, whose name was Ken, was a snob.

Aoi had met enough of them in her old life to recognize them. Even if he hadn't been muttering about the brutish installations of the ninja village when he arrived at the gates, the way he walked and held himself gave him away. He was also tremendously late and didn't even bother apologizing. He came on foot, and with only a single servant to accompany him, which proved he wasn't particularly wealthy or important, but he still snorted when he saw the team. "I ask for an escort and this is what I get? A bunch of brats?"

Apparently it was a rule that everyone who requested an escort was an asshole.

Daichi was drawing in breath to insult him back but Shikaku clamped a hand over his mouth and smiled. "I assure you, my team is capable. I am a Jounin of Konoha anyway, so you'll be safe."

The man snorted. "Hmph. Let's get going then."

Aoi decided to walk in front since the sight of the man's electric blue hair made her wince. His servant was a younger male who was tasked with carrying his master's things on his back as well as his own, and wobbled under the weight. Fifteen minutes in Aoi heard Aris offering to help.

Daichi walked at the back with Shikaku, no doubt so the Jounin could ensure he didn't run his mouth off again. The Nara had lectured them while they waited on the importance of being professional.

To be honest Aoi was still nervous, because despite his promise she knew Shikaku wouldn't be be a match for Orochimaru. He could probably take Kabuto, but not one of the Sannin - and she was fairly certain that now that she'd left the relative safety of Konoha her father wasn't going to leave her alone. She felt vulnerable, and she didn't like it. Even when she sensed a patrol passing them through the forest on the left of the road she wasn't reassured.

Overall, the first day was relatively boring. She was roped into sharing the servant's load when Shikaku decided it would be a good endurance exercise. Ken requested for breaks frequently even though he was the only one not carrying anything. They walked along the road in formation, without coming across anything of note, until they arrived at a seemingly well-maintained inn and the blue-haired eyesore declared they were staying there for the night.

Shikaku had them inspect the place while he requested a list of the guests before deeming it safe. It was probably unnecessary, but she supposed he meant it more as another training exercise than anything else.

They stayed in the room adjacent to Ken's. "I hate that guy," Daichi snarled as he dumped his bag on one of the four beds. "His face is begging me to punch it."

Aris deposited his bag on his own bed much more calmly. "He's a client, Daichi."

"Yeah, but that doesn't give him the right to lord over us like that! I could stick a kunai in his throat in half a second!"

Shikaku glared at him. "Be professional. We're on a mission."

"That's easy for you to say! He's scared of you!"

Aoi watched the argument impassively. It was remarkable that Daichi had managed to wait until they were alone to explode. His complaints weren't baseless - Ken had been ordering the Genin around like he did his servant. Shikaku, on the other hand, he'd been almost polite to, though Aoi didn't think it was because he was afraid of him. Rather, it gave off the feeling of... Respect? She wouldn't be surprised. Shikaku was a clan head as well as a ninja after all.

She lay down on her bed as Daichi ranted.

This was going to be a long mission.

Things almost boiled over on the morning of the second day when their client off-handedly requested Daichi to hand over his water canteen, took a sip and then proceeded to spit it out and dump the entire contents of the canteen on the floor. "What is this? Why is the water warm?"

Daichi snarled. "That was all my water, you twit."

Shikaku was on him in an instant. "I apologize for my Genin's rude attitude. Excuse him."

The Daimyo's cousin gave Daichi a disdainful glare before chucking back the empty canteen and continuing forwards.

Aoi looked at Shikaku. Even if Ken was a client, she found it hard to believe that their Sensei was actually making them swallow all of this. It wasn't like he was an important political figure, he barely made the cut for minor nobility. But Shikaku wasn't doing anything. In fact, he almost seemed amused by their client's antics and Daichi's growing frustration.

She supposed it was one of those things that would be too _troublesome_ for him to actively try to fix.

That night there was no inn nearby so they set up camp on a clearing on the side of the road. Ken's tent, which was the main reason his servant had trouble carrying so much weight, was probably big enough to fit all of them comfortably, but the ninja and the servant slept directly on the forest floor. Daichi didn't miss the opportunity to complain. Again. Shikaku sent him to set traps around the perimeter so they wouldn't have to listen to him.

She had first watch, so she sat against a tree while the others settled down to sleep, spinning her chakra stone in one hand. Soon she heard nothing but Aris's restless shifting and the snores coming from inside the tent.

The darkness descended like a blanket until it was almost oppressive. A twig snapped ominously. Aoi swallowed and concentrated on the chakra stone, trying to not let it get to her. She could tell there were no other chakra signatures nearby apart from her group's.

But there was something in knowing that she was currently the only person awake and the only one on the lookout for danger that unnerved her. What if Orochimaru showed up now? She didn't think the traps would actually hinder him for longer than a millisecond.

Aoi didn't like being a target. She didn't like being a fucking Sannin's target. She suddenly felt weak and foolish. She felt like she hadn't been taking her situation seriously enough.

_If Orochimaru doesn't show up tonight I'll ask Shikaku for an elemental jutsu tomorrow, _she thought, looking up at the strip of sky visible through the leaves. It was the closest thing to a prayer a self-proclaimed atheist like Aoi could allow herself. But the fear remained, which was ridiculous, it wasn't like there was that much of a difference between sleeping in the forest and the inn, or Konoha for that matter. If her father set his mind to it, he'd be able to find her anywhere.

Perhaps it was that her helplessness only really hit her now, with the night pressing around her like a prison.

She heard steps moving closer and jumped up, senbon in hand and heart rate thundering in her ears. It was only Shikaku. Still she didn't seem to be able to relax, having to swallow past a lump in her throat before forcing herself to put her weapon away.

"Calm down," he said, breaking the silence. His face was cast in darkness, the shadows distorting his expression. Aoi forcibly shook her body out of its stiffness and slid down the tree to resume her previous sitting position, and Shikaku joined her. "Aoi, I was serious. You can trust me." When she didn't reply, he added, "I'll let you in on something about the shadow-binding jutsu."

She cocked her head, interested.

"First, tell me what you think its major limitation is."

Aoi had sparred against him so many times she didn't even have to think about it. "You can't increase your shadow's area, meaning your range is limited. Unless you use natural shadows."

Shikaku nodded. "But both my shadow's area and the area of natural shadows increase as the sun goes down."

"Yes," Aoi acknowledged, wondering what he was getting at.

He grinned, teeth white and sharp in the darkness. "What do you think happens at night, when there's no sun at all?"

Aoi stared at him, baffled, then automatically her eyes rested on the ground. She couldn't distinguish his standard issue pants from the earth, let alone his shadow.

"The moon does create some light, but it doesn't reach through the leaves," Shikaku explained, patting the ground besides him. "Right now, this entire forest is my shadow. I can sense, immobilize and kill anything that sets foot in it."

Her eyes widened. Shikaku continued grinning.

"I guess crossing a Nara at night isn't a very good idea," she finally ventured. Suddenly, the shadow-binding jutsu seemed much more threatening than it did during their midday spars.

"No," her Sensei replied, satisfied, "it really isn't. Your watch's over," he added after a while. "Go back to sleep."


	18. Helpless

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Eighteen

_**[Helpless**: 1. Unable to defend oneself; powerless or incompetent. 2. Lacking support or protection.]_

* * *

The next morning the sky was blue and devoid of clouds. They packed up camp quickly while Ken sat around having a too-large portion of breakfast and calmly informed them that if they broke any of his things he'd make them pay for it. The ninja mostly ignored him, and soon they were on their way.

It turned out asking Shikaku for an elemental jutsu was unnecessary. As soon as they started walking he sent Daichi to the front of their procession and asked Aris and Aoi to join him at the back. He rummaged in his pockets for a while before getting out two pieces of paper and handing one to each of them. "Channel some chakra into that paper. It'll tell you your elemental affinity."

Aris's eyes widened. "We're learning elemental jutsu?" He immediately took the paper with something akin to greed, but paused before sending chakra into it. "What about Daichi?"

Shikaku glanced towards the front and lowered his voice so the fourth member of their squad couldn't hear them. "To be honest, I was waiting for him to catch up, but it's obvious he won't be ready to learn something like this for a while. So for the moment, I'm only teaching it to you two. It makes no sense to hold you back any longer."

Aris looked hesitant, then steeled himself and nodded. He swiped his blonde hair aside with one hand while making a seal of confrontation with the other one, holding the paper between his index and middle fingers. It smoked for an instant before bursting into a flame with a whoosh. "I'm fire."

"It's the most common in Konoha," Shikaku agreed. As an orphan of unknown parentage, it was the likeliest outcome for him. "Your turn, Aoi."

Chakra natures, as far as Aoi knew, were a way of describing how an individual's chakra tended to behave. It didn't mean the chakra was water itself, or fire, but that it had innate characteristics that meant transforming it into the element it was named after was easier. She'd read that fire-natured chakra tended to warm up when left unchecked outside the body, and earth-natured chakra tended to sink towards the ground, while wind-natured chakra thinned out and dispersed and water-natured chakra molded around its surroundings. Lightning-natured chakra was supposed to vibrate slightly before dispersing.

Nature transformation consisted in simply enhancing these properties and turning the chakra into the element itself through a jutsu.

The paper crinkled. "Lightning."

Unbeknown to her, Ken glanced back and rested his eyes on her for a second before turning to the front again.

"Hmmm." Shikaku scratched his goatee. "That's the rarest in the Land of Fire."

"Are chakra natures genetic?" Aoi asked.

"Yes, but not always."

She scowled. "That doesn't make any sense. Either they have a genetic component or they don't."

Shikaku shrugged. "Most of the time natures are inherited, but sometimes they aren't. I know a water-natured ninja born of fire-natured parents."

Aoi liked problems, and that was an interesting problem. She resolved that the heritability of chakra natures would be the subject of her next study. Obviously, if it was genetic, the pattern of inheritance wasn't going to be Mendelian straight-forward. Wait, it could be... If each allele had a different level of dominance. Supposing the allele for Lightning was the least dominant, a person would need a lightning/lightning genotype to have that nature. But a water/lightning would be water, and a wind/lightning would be wind. Someone with a water/wind genotype would be whichever allele was higher on the dominance scale.

That would explain Shikaku's water-natured shinobi. If fire was higher than water in the scale, it would mean that the parents had been fire/water, and therefore fire-natured, and the child had inherited a water allele from the father and another from the mother, making him water/water (or water/anything-except-fire, if water was second on the dominance scale and one of the parents was fire/anything-except-fire).

But it didn't really fit. According to that theory, there should be different proportions of each nature in the overall population and she doubted a case study would prove those proportions right. Though they varied between the countries, she was under the impression that overall they were more or less even. Well, she didn't actually know... She quickly drew up a table in her mind. "Shikaku, would you say that overall the incidence of lightning nature is about one in twenty-five?"

Shikaku stared at her and Aoi realized that she'd interrupted something he was saying. "Sorry," she muttered, blushing.

Her Sensei looked mildly contrite but answered. "No. It's rare, but not that rare, at least not in the other countries and certainly not in Kumo."

Well. So much for that. It was either more complicated than a single gene inheritance or dependent on the environment, rather than genetics. Which was possible, but it didn't explain how Aoi, who had grown up in virtually the same environment as Aris, had ended up with a different nature.

"As I was saying," Shikaku continued, eyeing her (Aoi had the decency to blush again), "I don't know any lightning-based jutsu, so you'll have to learn them from someone else. I do know quite a few fire-based ones for you, Aris. In fact, I'm going to teach you one right now."

Aris smiled with anticipation as Shikaku slowed, putting more distance between themselves and the rest of the party. The Nara looked around and motioned with his hand so they'd give him enough space, and the Genin jogged backwards obediently. Elemental jutsu were always amazing to see, but getting burned by one wouldn't be fun.

A blinding explosion of flames and intense heat flashed through her mind.

No, not fun. Aoi took another step back.

Shikaku nodded and did two quick hand signs too fast for them to see.

"Fingerspark jutsu!" he said, lifting his left index finger into the air. A small flame burst from the tip, much like the small flame of a lighter, burning for a few seconds before disappearing.

Shikaku took in the woefully underwhelmed expressions of his two students and grinned. "What? You didn't like it?"

"That was impressive," Aoi deadpanned.

"I can't wait to learn such a destructive and powerful jutsu," Aris echoed in the same tone.

Shikaku grinned wider. "You're underestimating it. It's great for lighting cigarettes."

Aoi quickened the pace to return to the head of the group while Shikaku gave instructions to an unenthusiastic (and non-smoking) Aris, who grimaced before nodding and working his fingers through the two hand signs.

* * *

Aris swore at his finger. He'd thought it would be incredibly easy to learn such a weak jutsu (D-Rank, according to Shikaku) but the damn thing wouldn't spark up. The Nara had explained to him how to make his chakra more fire-like but it wasn't working.

Aris continued working on it for the entire day while he walked, earning himself confused glances from Daichi which quickly turned into a mocking announcement that Aris had finally lost it and was starting to hold conversations with his finger. He ignored him as he always did when Daichi was being annoying and immature, which was most of the time.

He only stopped when they arrived that afternoon at the Fire-Hot Springs border. Shikaku exchanged codes and scrolls with the two bored Chunin guarding the outpost. Aris looked around with interest - this was, after all, the first time he set foot in a foreign country, and he was sort of nervous even if he'd never admit it out loud.

The topography of the Land of Hot Springs was fairly similar to that of his homeland, though the forests were less lush and the cliffs more bare. He learned through Shikaku that the hidden village of Yugakure had in fact stopped being a hidden village some time ago, since the country had been at peace with its neighbors for decades and there was no need for an organized military. It was now The Village That Had Forgotten Wars, a beautiful name in Aris's opinion. The land was prosperous, traditional in its customs but surprisingly rich in commerce and tourism. He could see why Ken had decided to visit.

They stopped for the night in the hotel of a small, unnamed village which, to his delight, was also an onsen. He soaked in the hot water for hours, grateful to be able to wash off all the dirt and grime from the road. He also took the opportunity to write an entry in his small green journal, complete with illustrations of the countryside and his impressions on the locals, being careful not to let it get wet. When he was done he left the book on a dry rock and sank deeper into the water, sighing blissfully.

"Hey," Daichi whispered conspirationally, "let's peek."

Aris closed his eyes. "No."

"Come on, aren't you curious?"

He opened one eye, surprised. "About Aoi?"

There was a stunned silence.

"No!" Daichi hissed. "Gah! I meant actual women." He tugged on his hair in distress. "Dude, it's not like they're gonna know. Let's do it."

"No."

"Sissy."

Aris watched as his friend made his way to the wooden wall that separated the women's baths from the men's and wedged his finger into a crack to widen it, then stuck his eye in front of it. Almost immediately he yelped in a high pitch and ducked. A senbon came flying through the hole he'd made, falling into the water near Aris with a minute _splish_ sound.

There was a silence.

"Missed!" Daichi yelled smugly. A second senbon pierced the wall below the hole, pricking him in the arm. He yelped again and scrambled away, rubbing his arm and splashing water everywhere. "She's fucking crazy!" he hissed. "Who the hell takes senbon into the baths?"

Aris laughed. "You're an idiot."

* * *

The stretch of road to Yugakure was much better-maintained than the dusty roads in the Land of Fire. It was paved with smooth, flat stones, so perfectly meshed together that you almost couldn't see the gaps in between. It was also much busier, with merchant carts and parties of travelers passing them every so often (since Ken kept insisting on going slowly and taking breaks). Aris abandoned his practice of the fingerspark jutsu for the moment to pay closer attention to his surroundings, since more people usually meant more danger, even if none of them looked particularly threatening.

Yugakure had no protective walls to speak of. The fact that no guards kept tabs on who entered or left spoke more about the wealth and prosperity of the place than the neatly-paved roads or the unusual friendliness of the merchants. Their ninja get-up did warrant them second looks from the population but no one acted in a particularly hostile or fearful manner.

Ken became more bossy by the second. Upon entering the village he declared he was leaving to a "decent restaurant for once and not that funghi-infested crap they serve in Konoha. And one of you will come and guard me!" He added imperiously.

Shikaku looked at Aris, who was scowling at his finger, at Daichi, who had gravitated towards a cluster of local girls, and at Aoi, who stared back at him apathetically. He gestured bleakly to her. "There is a secondary diplomatic mission I have to take care of while we're here," he explained. "We'll assemble when I'm done."

Aoi's expression didn't change. "I thought our mission ended once we arrived to Yugakure." It was really just a way of asking whether it was wise for her to set off with their client alone. There had been no signs of Orochimaru so far, so it made her feel silly, but she would rather be embarrassed than dead. Shikaku returned her look with insistence and maybe some exasperation and Aoi decided he'd already determined there was little risk. And maybe he was right. If Orochimaru hadn't assaulted her during the trip, why would he do it now, in a city full of people?

"I'm not paying you to question my decisions," Ken replied dismissively. "Well? Are you coming?" Aoi held Shikaku's gaze for a second longer, then turned around and followed without a word.

The gourmet restaurant was famous for its view over the village as much as its food, apparently. It was on the top of a small hill overlooking Yugakure, covered in the same not-quite-Konoha-tall-trees that populated the rest of the country. The path leading up to it was just as clean cut as all the others she'd seen, though significantly less traveled as the restaurant was the only thing atop the hill. They only crossed paths with one other person who ducked their head and didn't look at them, walking so fast it almost seemed like they were running away.

Ken's servant, whose name Aoi hadn't even bothered to learn, had fallen behind during the climb, burdened by his load.

That meant that the Genin and her obscenely blue-haired client were alone when Aoi spotted two figures ahead, blocking the middle of the path.

Her stomach dropped like a stone.

_No_.

She recognized them both immediately. The first wore plain, nondescript clothing, had long grey hair tied back in a ponytail, and glasses that reflected the sunlight. The second was taller, dressed in a beige tunic with a purple sash. His skin was deathly pale and even from this distance Aoi could sense the snake-like eyes fixed on her with bone-chilling, hair-rising intensity.

_Holy fucking shit. I jinxed it.  
_

_Shikaku, I have to get to Shikaku_ \- but as she turned she felt the whoosh of air passing her and Kabuto was in front of her, blocking her escape. She barely registered Ken jumping in her periphery - right now the egotistical man was the last thing on her mind. She didn't even realize that, if she tried to flee, she would be leaving him unprotected in front of criminals who could kill him in less time than it took to blink, effectively abandoning her mission.

Though she knew escape was unrealistic. She spiked her chakra like she would to free herself from a genjutsu, hoping it would catch Shikaku's attention wherever he was, though in a village with as many people as this one it was quite unlikely. Daichi and Aris had gone off each on their own way a while ago; they wouldn't have sensed it either, and they would just be walking corpses in front of the Sannin anyway.

She was trapped. Kabuto was a Jounin-level ninja, and Orochimaru's gaze penetrated her back, making her skin crawl. Here she was at the complete mercy of two men that had plans likely involving the shortening of her lifespan if not her immediate death. There was nothing she could do, short of stalling the inevitable. Aoi sighed, forcing herself to calm down, and looked up at the sky.

She couldn't honestly say she was surprised by it. She'd been waiting for this for six years, since the Hokage had told her her father's identity.

There was a moment of complete stillness and then Kabuto was on her in a fraction of a second, targeting her head, no doubt aiming to knock her unconscious right off the bat. She bent backwards to avoid the swing, and they engaged in a bout of brutal taijutsu in which she focused on keeping him from reaching any vital points. She _was_ able to do it, and that surprised her. Maybe his taijutsu wasn't as strong as his other skills, or maybe she'd gotten better, but the gap between them certainly wasn't as wide as the last time they fought. Aoi didn't let herself lose ground, since every step backwards would mean a step closer to Orochimaru, and just his aura scared her more than the medic's lethal chakra scalpels.

Aoi's own hands were coated in her numbing jutsu. She fed it more chakra than she usually did when sparring, aiming for paralysis as well as loss of sensation. Kabuto was faster than her, but not faster than Shikaku, and Aoi's mind started racing for some way she could use their surroundings to her advantage, the uncountable fights with her sensei having conditioned her to quickly search for alternative ways to beat a superior opponent. She had ninja wire, senbon and standard explosive tags, which in the right combination could give her a significant advantage even if Kabuto was the better ninja.

"Enough."

It was just a word, but both Aoi and Kabuto froze. The hairs on the back of her neck rose with dread and cold sweat coated her forehead as the Sannin's steps, deliberately loud, stopped right behind her. Aoi's body turned slowly, completely against her will, and then she was staring at his face.

Orochimaru's eyes were the same chilling yellow shade as her own, though more elongated and malevolent. His cheeks were hollow and his skin stretched thinly over them like a piece of fabric or a mask. The aura he gave off was so oppressive with raw power that it constricted her throat, making her unable to breathe in the fear that the simple act of drawing in air would result in her head rolling on the ground.

On the back of her mind she noted that his appearance was that of his original body. It was most likely a transformation; she was sure he'd already started switching by now. "Orochimaru," she greeted when she couldn't bear the silence any longer. Her throat was dry and it came out as a hoarse whisper.

Orochimaru's smile thinned. "I've wanted to meet you for a while, Aoi-san... If that's even your name. How do you like the body I gave you?"

Errr..._ What?_

_The body he._.. As she stared, wide-eyed, into his slitted pupils, the meaning of his words hit her like a truck. The body he gave her. If any other man had said that to any other child it could have been taken as a strange affirmation of parentage. But Aoi realized with dawning horror that Orochimaru's favorite jutsu were basically a forbidden technique that _revived dead people_ and another that _transferred a soul into a different body_. And by the amused glint in his eyes Aoi understood that he meant something else _entirely_.

No. Way. Her mind refused to move forwards. She didn't want to even think it. No way.

Her lack of reaction seemed to displease him and he made a hissing sound. "You've been interesting to watch, but the results for this particular experiment are long overdue. I'm afraid we have some tests to run." A snake slithered from his sleeve and started moving towards her, scales wet and slimy and as white as its master's skin. Aoi was too shocked to move. The snake opened its jaws, revealing two fangs longer than her hand and a pale, pink tongue that twisted its way towards her.

* * *

Something grabbed her jacket and pulled her back and suddenly, she was standing a few yards away, and a person was standing in front of her, blocking her view. She glanced up to a mop of blue hair. "Stay behind me," Ken instructed. He spoke in a completely different manner than he had during their trip. His tone was laced with steel, lacking all its superfluous whinyness from before, and Aoi's spine straightened to attention. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed his servant, who had finally caught up to them. He'd dropped his load and had his knees bent in a fighting stance. One of his hands came up in front of his chest and formed a half-tiger seal for gathering chakra.

_Is he doing a handseal? A ninja? But how?_ Everything had happened so fast she had no time to make sense of it. She could only watch in confusion as the servant went up into a puff of smoke and, when it cleared, a uniformed Konoha ANBU operative with the traditional porcelain mask stood in his place. Slowly she turned her head back towards Ken, who now wore the same grey vest and standard-issue dark pants, and whose hair was no longer blue. It was a spiky silver.

From the trees on either side of the path jumped three more ANBU that stared at the Sannin impassively. Orochimaru seemed as surprised as she was, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Kabuto quickly shuunshined to his side to face the new threat, kunai out and ready to strike.

"Orochimaru of the Sannin," a voice said from behind her. Startled, Aoi turned. Shikaku was standing there in his casual slouch, his hands in his pockets as usual. His gaze was focused on the missing-nin, dark and intent; he didn't even glance at her.

His voice rang out in the otherwise silent scene. "I'm executing you for treason."

All at once, the ANBU attacked.

* * *

_A.N: Yuuuuuuuuuup. I don't think many people saw that one (or two) coming.__  
_

_Thank you for the reviews :) they give me the fuzzies.  
_

_Also, forgive the scientific mumbo-jumbo in the first part. If you've never taken biology, here's a quick genetics crash course. It really isn't complicated:_

_1) A person has two copies of a gene: one you get from your mother and one you get from your father._

_2) An allele is the "version" a gene can take in the population. For example, flies have a gene for "wing length". This gene has two versions, "short" and "long". Here, Aoi theorizes that the gene for "chakra nature" has five alleles, "Fire", "Water", "Earth", "Wind," and "Lightning."_

_3) However, you only get two alleles out of those five (see 1)). Of those two, one shows dominance over the other, meaning you can carry the allele for "Lightning" but don't know about it because your other allele, let's say "Water", is more dominant and therefore is the one that is expressed.  
_

_4) By drawing a table called Punnett Square you can work out the possible combinations of all the alleles, and if you know their dominance, work out the different chakra natures each combination will give you._

_5) This is called Mendelian genetics and is the simplest form of genetic inheritance. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the kind of inheritance that determines things like your hair or eye color (that is much more complicated). It does apply to ABO blood groups, for example.  
_

_6)a. And this is all irrelevant because we will not see Mendelian genetics again._

_6)b. I attribute this note to exam crazyness. I am not responsible for my actions.  
_


	19. Lost

_A.N: Wow, so many reviews. You guys are spoiling me._

_Sorry for the delay. This chapter was really, really hard.  
_

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Nineteen

**_[lost:_**_ Unable to find one's way; not knowing one's whereabouts.]_

* * *

Hound's squad was the most competent assassination team in ANBU. Regular ninja didn't know that, because regular ninja knowing about ANBU's affairs sort of defeated the point, but in the black ops world they were renowned as ruthless, discrete, and with a one hundred percent success rate. They were a search and destroy team specializing in hunting missing-nin and they were _good_ at that job. They had faced off against S-class opponents several times before and even then managed to come out victorious.

It was in part due to the members' experience - they had been working together for longer than some of their comrades had been in ANBU. It was also due to the fact that Hound was an excellent captain and drilled the agents under his command mercilessly until he was reasonably sure that they wouldn't die on him at the first opportunity.

So, while this time the enemy they were facing was probably a cut above their regular targets, they moved quickly and with perfect coordination, seamlessly falling into a formation polished over the years for this very purpose. Like a well-oiled machine, they adjusted to any movement or change in the battlefield instantly and with extraordinary precision. Without a single hand sign for communication they maneuvered to separate their two opponents. Fox and Lizard broke off to deal with the lesser threat, while himself, Hawk and Cat engaged Orochimaru in a flurry of explosions of wood and lightning, and Hawk's peculiar brand of genjutsu that affected the inner ear and balance.

When he had fought Orochimaru the first time, some seven or eight years ago, Hound had been an overconfident teenager with something to prove. Now he had no ambition to get in the way, no emotions and no ridiculous attachment to his own life that would let the killing intent in the air hinder his movements. He was only a tool now. Only a soldier.

He lost his balance when the Sannin slammed his hands on the ground, creating a rolling earthquake that uprooted a few trees, but recovered quickly and threw three kunai, two of which sunk in Orochimaru's arm while he was too preoccupied avoiding Cat's wooden beams that sprouted from the ground and tried to cage him in.

As he dodged, Orochimaru swiped a finger through his wounds, smearing blood on his hands, and flew through a series of handseals. _I. Inu. _Hound's sharingan predicted the rest of the sequence by the flexion of his muscles alone and he lunged forwards - _Tori _\- blade unsheathed - _Saru_ \- and reached him in time to stop the last seal by swinging down and forcing the Sannin to move or be cut in half. The flurry of taijutsu that followed cost him a few broken ribs, but better that than to have to deal with a bloodthirsty colossal serpent on the battlefield.

Cat sent a dozen winding branches to circle the Sannin, distracting him so Hound could jump out of range and recover. Hawk contributed a volley of water bullets.

It was a tough battle, but the Sannin seemed slower, somehow less powerful than Hound remembered. They were steadily gaining the upper hand.

* * *

Shikaku glanced at the girl standing next to him, watching the battle through half-lidded eyes. Her thoughts were impossible to read but her muscles were tense, betraying her anger. "Stay here," he instructed, just in case. "Let the ANBU do their job." There was a reason why he'd chosen Kakashi's team. They were stealthy enough to avoid detection until the last moment; they also had a perfect mechanic, and anyone intervening in the fight, be it a Genin or himself, would only hinder them.

"I have every intention to," Aoi replied, deceptively calm.

Shikaku sighed. He supposed she had a right to be pissed off.

While he kept an eye on the high-speed battle going on, he analyzed the information he'd gained from the encounter. He'd ordered the ANBU to avoid intervening straightaway because he had to make absolutely sure that Aoi Momoru was not, in fact, Orochimaru's spy. He'd grown attached to his little Genin and the possibility that he might have to kill her had been sad, but with this, at least, he could be certain Aoi wasn't a traitor.

But the other thing he'd learned was almost more interesting. _He experimented with his daughter's body. Did he give her Mokuton? Unlikely, she'd have manifested it by now. The way she reacted suggests she knew what he was referring to. _Aoi was still pale, and her hands were jammed so deep in her pockets Shikaku suspected she was trying to keep them from trembling. _Whatever it is, it's shaken her. Understandably.__  
_

He drew his attention away from the main fight for a moment to focus on the glasses-wearing ninja facing off against the remaining two ANBU. Shikaku had never seen him before, but he wore a Konoha headband, marking _him_ as the traitor. It looked like he was being pushed back, but the blows the ANBU landed didn't seem to be very effective. Watching his movements closely, Shikaku understood why. "He's a medic-nin," he observed. "Do you know what he's doing?"

Aoi took some time to answer, long enough for the Jounin to realize that she was much angrier than he'd thought. "He's using a healing technique on himself. It's faster and more effective than regular medical ninjutsu, though it's not instant regeneration. A fatal blow will bring him down." Her voice was without inflection.

"Don't give it away, Aoi-chan," the medic-nin in question called playfully, recovering after another kick. "After all, it was your idea."

Aoi's face remained neutral.

Everything came to a standstill when there was a flash of steel and white lightning, and Orochimaru's head fell on the ground with a loud thump.

Shikaku's eyes darkened as they darted to the spot where his body still stood, and the dog-masked ANBU behind it in the process of completing a swing, the tanto in his hand dark with blood.

The head started rolling down the hill towards Shikaku and Aoi, becoming tangled in its own black hair.

Then the body collapsed into a mass of writhing snakes that threw themselves at the ANBU. He yelped in pain and fell backwards as the snakes overwhelmed him, covering and constricting his body, biting and tearing into flesh.

His team reacted instantly. One threw a fireball in his direction which caught the snakes and lit them up in a bonfire. A second later another chucked in a water jutsu that extinguished the flames before the human under them got burnt too, though the body that was left under the charred remains of the reptiles was mangled and bloody and barely even seemed human.

Shikaku swore. He clamped down on Aoi's arm and shuunshined them over. He practically threw her at the body before turning back to the battlefield, eyes fixed on the head that was still rolling down the hill.

It stopped rolling and from its mouth emerged a full-bodied Orochimaru, clothes and skin covered in saliva. There was no trace of any of the wounds he'd sustained during the fight or any signs of blood anywhere.

No one made a move to engage as the Sannin stared back at him with interest. "I truly wasn't expecting this, Shikaku. You've gotten better."

He was going to flee, Shikaku realized. Orochimaru was at a disadvantage and he was going to flee. If he filled in for Kakashi and took the remaining ANBU with him, they could capture him, but... He glanced to his student, kneeling helplessly next to the convulsing body on the ground, and then at the glasses-wearing spy further down the road.

Shikaku made a decision.

* * *

The snakes had bitten him everywhere, tearing his skin from the muscle underneath, turning him into a broken and bloody mess. His ANBU mask had shattered in the attack and mismatched eyes stared at Aoi in pain and shock, tortured gasps escaping his lips with every convulsion of his body.

The only thing she could think of was that Kakashi _couldn't_ die here. He was supposed to become Team Seven's sensei sometime in the next year. It made no _sense_.

She knelt next to him and ran her hands over him, assessing the damage with chakra. He had burns but they were unimportant compared to the state of the rest of his body. His ribs were crushed, collapsed into his chest, and an elongated object - a fang? - punctured his trachea through the cartilage. He was losing blood at an alarming rate, his entire body drenched in it as it oozed out from his wounds.

The poison in his system would probably kill him first. It was destroying his organs from the inside.

She couldn't help him. No single medic-nin could, except perhaps Tsunade.

Still she started repairing vessels and tissues with single-minded focus, even as they broke down again, ignoring everything that went on outside her little bubble. It was hopeless, she knew, but a part of her that she'd thought long dead had suddenly resurfaced and overtaken her actions. She felt like a stranger staring at the scene from outside, staring at her own arms already drenched in blood to the elbow.

She continued even as Kakashi's convulsions started growing weaker, he exhaled one last time and his eyes acquired a glassy, distant look.

"Keep going," a voice said, breaking her concentration. "I'll take care of the poison."

Aoi's head whipped up to see Kabuto kneeling on Kakashi's other side, reaching into his pouch. Any disgust or fury she would have felt towards him was eclipsed by her shock. She looked up to find the four remaining ANBU and Shikaku looming over them. What had happened to Orochimaru? Had he fled?

Kabuto jammed a syringe into Kakashi's arm, then ran his hands over it and moved up to his chest, frowning. "His heart's stopped. The antidote isn't going anywhere. It has to get beating again."

"A fang's punctured his trachea," Aoi informed. "It's getting flooded with blood. We have to fix that first."

"Your chakra scalpels?" Kabuto asked.

Aoi shook her head. "Not good enough yet."

He nodded. "I'll extract the fang. You seal up the tissue and pull the blood out through his mouth."

They set to work. Kakashi was already dead, but there was a small window of time, a possibility to revive him. When the trachea was fixed she molded her chakra around his heart and squished, forcing it to contract. She let it refill, and did it again. Again. She barely realized she was sweating and panting from chakra exhaustion. Meanwhile, Kabuto kept running diagnostics and stimulating Kakashi's chakra system.

After an eternity Kakashi's heart fluttered by itself under the hold of her chakra. His body jerked several times before a low, strained sound escaped his lips.

Aoi lifted her trembling hands and leaned back, exhausted.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Daichi said, frowning. "Our escort mission was just a cover so Shikaku-sensei could capture this Orochimaru?"

"Yes," Aoi replied with the weariness of someone who'd told the story many times already. Her eyes bored through the window. It was raining in the Land of Hot Springs, the constant drumming of heavy raindrops muting the sounds from the street. In contrast, their hotel room was warm, almost unbearably so.

_They used me as bait_, she added silently. Honestly, she was disappointed in herself for not having spotted it sooner. It had been obvious for years that Konoha only saw her as a disposable pawn. And of course Shikaku was involved in it, hell, he'd probably been the one to suggest it. Orochimaru, Danzo, the Sandaime... What had deluded her into thinking that he was any different?

It made her want to laugh. She should have been used to the taste of betrayal by now. Instead, she smiled bitterly, eyes sharp as they followed the path of a raindrop sliding down the window.

"But the guy managed to flee," Aris supplied, not looking up from the diary he was writing in, "and they captured his spy instead. The ANBU took him back to Konoha."

Apparently, at that critical point in the fight Shikaku chosen to ensure Kabuto's capture over impeding Orochimaru's escape, since he'd realized the medic was the only chance Kakashi had of surviving. Kabuto was currently being escorted back to Konoha by reinforcements that had arrived a few hours ago, who were also taking Kakashi back for treatment. Some members of the original ANBU team were still lurking around in case Orochimaru reappeared.

Aoi thought that was unlikely. He was probably miles away by now.

But this event had been enlightening in a number of ways.

She'd saved Kakashi. She hadn't even thought about it - she'd just done it. And this feeling was familiar, the feeling that came with knowing that it was only because of her own actions that another human being was still alive. She'd thought she'd outgrown it. She didn't want to acknowledge it, she didn't want to care, but it was there, just as intense and filling as she remembered it, even when she told herself that Kakashi was just a character that didn't actually exist.

Except she wasn't sure anymore, was she? Was it actually possible that Orochimaru had implanted a dead soul into the body of his unborn daughter? Had Nana Momoru been another of his test subjects? Maybe, just maybe, this was real, maybe it wasn't just a construct of her mind. If somehow the reality of Naruto truly existed, then a mistake or a combination of Orochimaru's reviving and soul-transferring jutsu could explain her 'reincarnation'...

There was still a huge but. Aoi knew the way this world was supposed to go. Even if she was blurry on a few details, she effectively knew the future. Sasuke would kill Itachi, Orochimaru would die too, and Kabuto would resurrect them all to turn them against the living. Shikaku, her own sensei, was a dead man walking, his destiny already decided in the Fourth Shinobi War. So was Neji Hyuga.

Aoi had convinced herself she didn't care about anything that would happen in the timeline except to avoid becoming tangled in it - she'd been focused on surviving, on staying away, thinking that it was set in stone and any effort to interfere would be unsuccessful or result in her own death. Until the recent encounter with Orochimaru the only thing she'd tried to change was Lee's jumpsuit, and that hadn't worked. But this. This was major. With Kabuto captured, something was bound to change - it could be just a minor modification in the Rookie Nine's Chuunin exams or...

...Or without even trying to or being aware of it, Aoi had prevented the Fourth Shinobi War.

She put a hand over her mouth to hold back the wave of nausea that climbed up her throat.

"Aoi? Are you alright?" Aris asked, looking up from his notebook.

_No,_ she wanted to say. _No, I hold power over this entire universe just by being here and knowing what's going to happen. I changed it. This is wrong. _

Someone like her shouldn't exist.


	20. Bitter

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty

_**[bitter: **1\. Having a strong or unpleasant flavor that is the opposite of sweet. 2. Marked by cynicism and rancor. 3. Expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret.]_

* * *

Unlike the outbound trip, Team Shikaku traveled back to Konoha at a much faster pace, their Sensei making them jog for as long as they didn't drop dead. It wasn't as fast as tree-hopping, but he insisted it was necessary to build stamina (Aoi was beginning to suspect that Shikaku was a bit of a fitness nut). As a result the journey would take a fraction of the time than it had when that complaining asshole Ken had been with them.

Aoi wondered whether Kakashi had enjoyed it. Probably.

They stopped for the night in a nondescript clearing. Shikaku designated Aoi for first watch and she wordlessly hopped up a tree to settle on one of the highest branches, not wanting to be close to the rest of her team at the moment. She was pretty sure her distant attitude over the last few days was worrying them but she didn't find it in herself to actually care.

She'd been endlessly chewing over the revelations of the encounter with Orochimaru, only to arrive to one conclusion. She needed to speak to him again. But that wasn't going to be easy. The next time they met, her father would most likely try to capture her again and ship her off to his lab - maybe he still planned to steal her body. It wasn't like she could just waltz up and demand to know what he'd done.

_But what then?_ a mocking part of her asked. _Even if you found out it was possible, even if you knew how exactly he's pulled your soul into this body, what are you going to do? Reverse it? That's ridiculous. You're already dead back home._

She was stuck here. This world was her world now. Regardless of whether she'd completely screwed it up just by existing, the original plan stood: she would survive it, ensure her own safety, and ignore everyone else. Ninja could take care of their damn problems themselves, and if they couldn't, well that was just how it had been written.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Shikaku stirring below. He paused for a moment under her tree and then started walking up it. "I want to talk," he stated.

Aoi sighed in resignation and settled back against the trunk, while he crouched on the branch in front of her, barely a shadowy outline in the darkness.

"You have a right to be angry," he said. "I'm sorry."

Aoi stared at the dark blob that was his face silently. She knew he wasn't sorry, not really. In his eyes the mission had been necessary and could even be considered a success, now that they had Kabuto, and the Jounin Commander of Konoha wasn't sorry about that. Maybe he felt a bit guilty about the way they'd involved her, but as a ninja he knew he'd done the right thing.

The forest rustled around them, accentuating Aoi's lack of a reply.

"Did Orochimaru... Experiment on you?"

The question froze her in place. She'd forgotten that he would have heard their exchange, too. Her mind raced as she decided what to do - lie, obviously. If some miracle could have convinced her to one day share her situation with Shikaku, that chance was gone now. He'd proven that placing her trust in him had been a mistake, one she was tired of repeating.

"I don't know."

"Do you know what he did?"

"No."

"Aoi."

"I don't know what he did." Aoi straightened from her seated position and jumped down before he could press for more answers. He sighed and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like _troublesome, _but left her alone, and prepared for his turn to keep watch.

* * *

Lee was quickly becoming stronger. Over the last year at the Academy his taijutsu had improved to above average, but now he was advancing by leaps and bounds. Gai-sensei's training was tough, and often made him want to quit, but he was starting to see results. Neji and Tenten could no longer keep up with him, endurance-wise at least. He outlasted them both by miles.

He was getting used to the weights now. There were times he barely noticed they were there.

He and Gai were in the middle of their morning handstand laps around the village when they spotted a lone silhouette in one of the training grounds, performing a kata that looked more like a set of stretches. They made a detour to investigate.

The rising sun was behind the figure, making it impossible to distinguish their face, but the wide, slow movements of the kata were familiar. Lee's eyes lit up in recognition as they approached. "Aoi-channnn!" he called. Some birds nearby startled and took flight, cawing in alarm.

The figure finished the movement unperturbed and completed the kata by lowering her open palms in front of her abdomen and exhaling slowly. The air around her vibrated imperceptibly, thick with chakra. Only then did she turn towards them. "Lee," she acknowledged.

Lee approached quickly. "I didn't know you were back from your mission. It's good to see you!"

"Indeed!" Gai added from behind him. "Usually, no one besides us is up this early. Such youthful dedication brings tears to my eyes! How did the mission go?"

Aoi shrugged. "Alright."

"Why don't you join us and tell us all about it? We only have seven laps left."

Aoi seemed to consider before shrugging again and dropping into a handstand. The three of them left the training grounds to continue on their circuit. "Why _are_ you up this early, Aoi?" Lee inquired. From the Academy, he'd known Aoi liked her sleep.

"Couldn't sleep," Aoi replied vaguely. Lee noticed that indeed, there were dark circles under her eyes. "What has your team been up to?"

They chatted while they hand-walked. They got more strange looks from the few people in the streets than usual, since the sight of Lee and Gai doing ridiculous training was pretty normal but never before had anyone joined them.

It didn't last long. After two laps Aoi gave up and walked on her feet, despite Lee and Gai's protests. She was about to split off from them to continue her own training when something occurred to her. "Gai. San," she added as an afterthought. "Are there any kind of family histories recording chakra natures?"

Gai frowned thoughtfully. "Probably. The clans always keep careful records of their members." Aoi nodded distractedly. "Why do you wish to know?"

"It's just a project I'm working on." She'd been giving it more thought since returning from the mission; it kept her mind away from other questions she didn't have the answer to. The relatively trivial subject acted as an anchor, it was something she could actually work on and figure out on her own. She even had a new theory that she would like to test.

"You could ask your Sensei," Gai proposed. "The Nara have extensive archives. I'm sure he'd let you study certain parts of them if you explained."

Aoi grimaced. "Shikaku. Yeah. Thanks." She turned to leave.

"Bye, Aoi-chan! We should spar sometime. I've gotten stronger."

She waved without looking and strolled back to the training grounds, lost in thought.

Maybe Shikaku felt guilty enough to let her take a peek. She _was_ genuinely curious about chakra type inheritance. But the idea of asking him for help made her grimace - she didn't like admitting that she needed him. Who else did she know, then, that was part of a large enough clan to provide a good case study?

Well. That was easy.

* * *

When Kakashi finally regained full consciousness he was alone in his room. He'd been drifting in and out, the painkillers distorting his sense of reality, alternating absurd hallucinations with drunk stupor. He hated it, and was glad to be finally lucid, even if his whole body felt like shit.

He tried to move, unsuccessfully. His uncovered eye rolled downwards to find he was tied to the hospital bed by straps of a material resembling plastic, the kind they used to tie down lunatics.

Wonderful.

He smelled the air, confirming that he was indeed in Konoha's hospital and it had been an hour since anyone had been in his room.

The last thing he remembered clearly was being jostled around on someone's back, nerve endings screaming, the pain practically splitting his head open, as they carried him back to Konoha. Before that there was what he assumed a long stretch of unconsciousness and before that... He shivered. The snakes.

He distinctly remembered one of the smaller reptiles crawling up his nose. In fact, it still felt like it was there.

No, it was just a tube.

Okay, so he wasn't completely lucid yet.

He was wearing the hospital's garbs and there were bandages over most of his face. He decided it would be a good idea to get out of there. They'd tied down his arms against his sides, but his hands were free. Kakashi concentrated and reached inwards for his chakra, frowning when he found it unusually thin and intangible, like a spider web. They'd given him some kind of chakra thinner too? Bastards.

Fortunately, he didn't need much control for a D-Rank jutsu. He grabbed hold of a small portion of it and directed it towards his hand, then to his pointed index finger. He forced the chakra to heat up and combust, and a small flame erupted from it. He carefully bent his finger, pointing it at the strap securing his wrist, which started to burn, letting out a foul-smelling smoke.

After a minute or so a fire alarm blared, and Kakashi was halfway out of his bonds. He quickly got rid of the other half, ripped tubes and IV needles off and rolled off the bed, grunting as he hit the floor. He was exhausted. He was in pain. He hated this smell. He wanted to go home.

He spotted a pile of his clothes, badly tattered and burned, on a chair, and put them on, grimacing as they rubbed against his still-healing wounds. He was out the window as panicked cries started spreading throughout the hospital.

They found him two days later, while he was having dinner at a fast-food place. He'd been too busy noticing how painful it was to swallow to sense Hawk until it was too late. Then again, she'd always been the stealthiest. _Hokage summons_, she signaled in the ANBU hand-language, _immediately_.

Kakashi exhaled resignedly and finished his dinner as slowly as he could.

The Hokage was waiting for him behind his desk, chin resting over his interlocked fingers, staring at him through evaluating eyes. Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. He knew he didn't look very professional. His hair was still slightly singed and even the minuscule patch of skin that was visible around his eye was covered in cuts. Underneath his long sleeves, his wounds itched painfully.

"Your ANBU mask?" the Hokage asked evenly, breaking the silence.

"Shattered in the fight," Kakashi informed. "I haven't asked for a new one yet."

"You won't need to." Upon Kakashi's startled silence, he elaborated. "I'm reassigning you. You will cease your activities as an ANBU operative and become a Jounin-sensei to this year's graduates."

Kakashi sighed. They'd been over this in the past. "Like last year? None of them will pass the bell test, Hokage-sama. I won't teach them."

"Then you'll be a normal Jounin of Konoha, and take normal missions," the Hokage countered, unmovable. "You're not going back to ANBU, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked, uncomprehending. The Hokage didn't repeat himself. "Why?" He was excellent in ANBU. ANBU was easy for him. He'd trained the most competent team in the entire division. Hell, if he'd been interested, he'd probably be _head_ of the division by now.

"If it hadn't been for Momoru, you would have been dead. It's a miracle you can even walk at all. How many times does this make in the past few months? Five? Six? You always manage to return from a mission in critical condition while the rest of your squad is relatively unharmed. I've gone over the reports." He paused, the words sinking in the silence. "You have a death wish, Kakashi."

"It's only logical, as captain, that I take the position with the most risk," he argued.

The Sandaime glared. "I should have noticed it before. While you wait for graduation, you will pay the Yamanaka a visit, rest, maybe take an easy B or A-rank mission that doesn't involve assassination if Inoichi allows it. Then you are going to teach a bunch of brats, protect them, and find a meaning to your life."

Kakashi opened his mouth to protest.

"That's an order."

He stared, grey eye stormy. "Only if they pass."

The Sandaime puffed on his pipe. "I hope they do. I'm giving you Minato's son."

Kakashi's back tensed as if he'd been slapped.

Fantastic.

He left the Hokage's office without a word.

* * *

A.N.:_ Kinda short and gloomy... Sorry. Things will pick up soon. Thank you for your reviews :)_


	21. Defiant

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-One

_**[defiant****: **boldly resisting authority or an opposing force; rebellious.]_

* * *

Shikaku followed Ibiki Morino through the underground corridors of T&amp;I, ignoring the ninja they passed and the occasional scream coming from behind the closed steel doors on either side. Ibiki was a bear of a man, towering over Shikaku and almost every other ninja he knew, the visible scars on his face making him even more intimidating. He supposed that it was an advantage in his chosen profession.

"We've had him on drugs since he was brought in," Ibiki informed in a low, growling voice which fit his appearance perfectly. "The inability to access chakra can sometimes be enough for them to squeal, but this guy's tough. Medics usually are, normal methods don't work on them so well. I've personally interrogated him twice." They went down another flight of stairs. "He eventually broke. Then we found out he has a seal on his tongue that prevents him from talking. There's another one on the back of his neck, but I don't know what it does."

"Has he tried to kill himself yet?"

"No. I think he's waiting to be rescued."

They entered a larger room that had chairs lined up along the walls. Inoichi Yamanaka was waiting for them there, arms crossed over his chest and teal eyes staring thoughtfully at a door opposite. When they walked in he turned towards them expectantly.

"You'll have to tell me what I'm looking for," he said. "I need to focus on a particular question."

Shikaku nodded. "We need all the info he has on Orochimaru, and everything Orochimaru has on us. But start with where he is now and his future plans. And his experiments on Aoi Momoru," he added as an afterthought.

Kabuto smiled placidly at them when they entered the room. He was tied to a chair with steel restraints around his arms, legs and neck. Shikaku only spared him a cursory glance - dirty, thin and with cuts and bruises adorning his body, like most people placed under Ibiki's tender care for extended periods of time. He was also missing the pinky fingers of both hands.

Shikaku was surprised by that. Cutting off fingers was harsh, even for Ibiki. It was one of the worst forms of torture one could inflict on a ninja, since they would no longer be able to make hand signs and therefore it robbed them of their jutsu. It was normally reserved for S-class criminals. If anything it proved how stubborn Kabuto had been. "Good morning," the prisoner greeted, voice hoarse and scratchy from weeks without food or water. "Or is it? I can't tell anymore."

Inoichi took a step forwards, and a shadow of fear crossed Kabuto's eyes, before the bland smile was back in place. "I get the head of the Yamanaka clan? What an honor."

Without further ado Inoichi placed a hand on top of his head and closed his eyes.

He found himself surrounded by mirrors. Kabuto's mind was a forest of mirrors, from shards to full-length ones that stretched on in front of him, behind him, above and below, blocking his view. Some reflected Inoichi's image back at him, while others showed Kabuto himself, always with the same irritating smile. Occasionally, a pattern of white scales would appear, alternating between mirrors so it seemed to be moving around Inoichi. "Someone's put blocks on him," he informed Shikaku and Ibiki, before diving deeper.

At first glance the size and orientation of the mirrors seemed random, and the images they reflected made it difficult to find a point of reference. But Inoichi had been doing this for decades. He quickly found the pattern and started moving towards what they were trying to conceal - Kabuto's brain, a huge construct suspended in a space inside their protective barrier.

He approached and placed his hands on it. It was warm and pulsing with activity. Then he pulled, extracting a giant scroll, which he started unrolling, eyes scanning the writing there as the paper fell away below him. He skipped past the early memories - _an orphanage, a woman -_

_Danzo and an organization he'd never heard of -_

_Aoi Momoru,_ _Kabuto noticed something odd about her, something that didn't quite fit -_

_Orochimaru, approaching him after the woman's death - _

_A laboratory in -_

Without warning, the mirrors around Inoichi changed their orientation to point at him like a thousand needles, threatening instead of protecting. They rushed at him, and Inoichi barely pulled himself out in time to avoid being impaled. The brain representing the core of Kabuto's mind was skewered, completely destroyed until nothing was left.

Inoichi fell back in the interrogation room, shocked. Shikaku was next to him instantly, helping him up. "What happened?"

"There were barriers," Inoichi explained, scrutinizing the seated Kabuto. His head was tilted forwards, his hair obscuring his face. "I managed to get past them, but I triggered something as I examined his memories, which caused the barriers to... I think they destroyed his own mind."

Ibiki slowly approached Kabuto. He grabbed hold of his hair and lifted his head. Kabuto's eyes were glassy, staring vacantly at the interrogator's coarse features like he didn't recognize him. "Can you hear me?" Ibiki slapped him hard across the face, but he still didn't respond; he didn't even blink. He seemed empty, his eyes lacking the spark of intelligence that even weeks of torture hadn't snuffed out, a carcass with nothing inside. If not for the pulsing artery faintly visible on the side of his neck, he could have been mistaken for dead.

"So Orochimaru programmed his memories to be destroyed if he was interrogated, by the same barriers meant to protect them," Shikaku stated.

Inoichi shook his head. "Not just his memories. His entire mind. This man is dead - that over there is just his body."

"Troublesome," he grunted. They couldn't get anything out of him anymore, and he no longer had value as a hostage - not that he had much in the first place. "Did you manage to find something at least?"

Inoichi tugged on his long, blonde ponytail distractedly in a distinctly feminine manner. "Your Genin was part of Root, an ANBU subdivision," he said.

A few seconds passed before it registered. "What?"

"Or something like it. The details weren't very clear. Kabuto was the one who recruited her and trained her. She left before he turned traitor."

Well. That was shocking, but it fit. Her familiar exchange with Kabuto during the confrontation had been suspicious, but it made sense if they'd known each other from ANBU. It also explained her emotional detachment and some of her odd habits, especially if she'd started at a young age. What didn't make sense at all was the Hokage failing to mention it in his debriefing to Shikaku when he was assigned as her sensei. The black ops wasn't a kind world, certainly not to a child, and it was the kind of crucial knowledge he needed to have. Why would the Hokage hide that? Why hadn't Aoi herself told him? Even if this was one of those things that were kept under wraps, Shikaku, as her sensei, should at least have been made aware of it.

He didn't have all the information and thus he shouldn't judge. There had to be a reason for such secrecy. But it still irked him that Aoi and the Hokage had kept something this big for him, and made him wonder what other secrets she was hiding. "Did you see what Orochimaru did to her?"

"No... I'm not sure Kabuto himself knew." Inoichi sighed. "There wasn't much more I could find. Orochimaru has multiple hideouts, and he's been... continuing his experiments."

While they talked Ibiki had knelt in front of the prisoner and was checking vitals and trying to elicit a reaction, but Kabuto remained utterly still and unresponsive, like a particularly realistic puppet. The interrogator checked the seals on his tongue and the back of his neck, noting a different conformation in the latter. "It's the seal," he informed. "It's been activated."

The two Jounin leaned in to take a closer look. They both had a basic knowledge of sealing, but neither had seen anything like this one. The inky lines curled into Kabuto's neck like claws, embedding themselves into his skin. "One thing's for sure, he's brain-dead," Ibiki assessed, after a more thorough examination. "Vegetative state."

"Could he be faking it? He's a medic, after all."

"Keep him under observation until Jiraya returns and takes a look at the seal."

"I think we should just kill him. He's not worth the trouble."

When Shikaku finally exited the building, leaving Inoichi and Ibiki to discuss the spy's fate, the sun was already setting, bathing Konoha in a comforting amber glow. Shikaku's steps took him to the forest inside his clan's compound while he was lost in his thoughts. It was disappointing that they hadn't gained more information from Kabuto. He'd been convinced the spy could give them the key to finding and defeating Orochimaru once and for all. Instead, the Sannin had managed to slip through their fingers again, by virtually killing his own agent - somehow, Shikaku wasn't surprised.

He stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the forest, the long shadows of the sunset twisting around him. All they could do now was wait.

He felt rather than heard one of his deer approaching, and reached into his jacket, taking out a purple fruit. He left it on the ground and retreated a few steps, watching as the animal hesitantly stepped forwards and lowered its neck to the fruit in a smooth, graceful movement.

He wondered if he should keep pressing Aoi for answers. She resented him, that much was clear, which meant getting anything out of her would be hard. He could force it - or in the worst case scenario, ask Inoichi to find out - but he knew that would be a foolish move. Her trust in him was already flimsy as it was; antagonizing her further would only drive her away from him and away from Konoha, and she had too much potential to risk losing her.

He'd have to trust her, then. Trust that her loyalty to the village was more than just circumstantial and that, if she needed help, she would ask him for it. Shikaku wasn't all that comfortable with the decision, but he didn't have much choice. As long as she didn't deliberately harm Konoha, he could allow her her secrecy. He'd been a ninja for long enough to recognize the necessity to keep certain things to oneself.

That wasn't the end of his worries. Team Shikaku had been formed almost four months ago. There would be Chunin exams happening soon, in Amegakure, and he had to decide whether to nominate them.

No, he wouldn't. Even if Aoi already had the maturity and skills to face the exams, and Aris was quickly getting there, Daichi wasn't ready. The boy still lacked discipline. He'd run his mouth off every day, proclaiming he would kick the ass of all his opponents, but when it came to training he was lazy and gave up quickly. Daichi just didn't take his chosen career seriously enough. He wasn't Chunin material yet.

And he wasn't sure Hidden Rain's new regime could be trusted. The civil war had ended a short time ago, and, though they were still officially allies, Konoha hadn't collected enough intelligence on the new leaders yet. No, he wouldn't nominate them for this exam.

On the other hand, Shikaku was also Jounin Commander and he couldn't afford to neglect that post in favor of his team for much longer. He supposed he'd just have to wait until the next exams, juggling his responsibilities in the meantime. Maybe focus on Daichi to get him up to standard. He also had to find someone to teach Aoi lightning jutsu, and work on Aris's fire jutsu.

But for the moment, he'd watch the deer. Then maybe play Shogi with Shikamaru. He hadn't spent much time with his son lately.

* * *

Hinata opened the scroll, glancing nervously at the door to her clan's library. After some deliberation she activated her Byakugan, immediately visualizing the entire compound, and exhaled in relief when she didn't spot anyone near. She was sure her father wouldn't approve of what she was doing if he knew, so she absolutely couldn't afford to get caught. She retrieved a smaller blank scroll from her pocket and started copying the contents of the first into the second, checking with her Byakugan every so often for adults.

She'd been immensely happy when she spotted Aoi leaning against a tree at the exit of the Academy, arms crossed and hitai-ate gleaming in the sun. She'd missed the sparring sessions. In teaching another person Gentle Fist Hinata had improved her own taijutsu tremendously, she'd felt like she was finally doing something, after years of being called a disappointment. When Aoi had graduated she'd looked for a new sparring partner in the girls in her class, but they'd declined, saying they preferred going shopping and having fun. The one time Ino did agree she kept complaining about the bruises and sweat that was ruining her complexion. "Iruka-sensei says I'll probably pass anyway, so what's the point?"

Hinata had been appalled by her classmate's attitude. _It's not about passing the exam_, she wanted to say. _It's about becoming strong enough to protect your teammates,_ but when she opened her mouth Ino had already turned away.

It turned out Aoi hadn't returned for the sparring sessions. She was there to ask for a favor, something only Hinata could do, something risky.

Hinata had been reluctant, at first. One of the Hyuga's most important rules was to not divulge family secrets, and she'd already risked enough by teaching an outsider Gentle Fist. But Aoi had explained that her curiosity was purely scientific, and that she didn't mean to use the information against the Hyuga in any way. Even if she did, Hinata didn't see how knowing chakra natures could be harmful. The Hyuga didn't use any elemental techniques; records were only kept for the sake of keeping records and because the Hyuga loved family trees.

They were common enough in the main section of the clan's library and finding one that included chakra natures hadn't been hard. Even Academy students like her were allowed access to them. Taking them out of the library or making notes, however, was strictly forbidden.

Hinata had always been invisible to her clan. She could do it.

It wasn't sparring, but it had a thrill of its own. In asking her this, Aoi had placed her trust in her and proved that she didn't believe Hinata was worthless.

The scroll depicted a central trunk, representing the main house, with extensions branching out from it, representing the branch houses. It was always like this: the main house in the middle, where Hyuga blood supposedly ran the thickest; and the branch houses around it, protecting it, painted in fainter ink.

When she was finished, Hinata rolled up the original scroll and put it back in the shelf before pocketing the other one and scurrying out of the library, glad it was over. As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone and looked up, her face paling.

Neji stared down at her, white eyes hard. There was a moment of tension in which neither of them moved and Hinata didn't even dare breathe. She looked down and to the left, nervous. Even under normal circumstances she didn't like crossing paths with Neji. He hated her, and never made an effort to hide it, and Hinata had never understood why. He was talented, confident, a genius even the main branch recognized. He had all she'd ever wanted.

She moved aside for him.

After a few seconds he sneered quietly and left.

Hinata breathed out.

She was smiling as she left the compound, and it hadn't faded when she reached the tea shop where Aoi was waiting. "Did you get it?" Hinata nodded, taking out the scroll. Aoi smiled. "Cool."

A pleased blush spread on her cheeks. She sat down next to Aoi, watching as the Genin examined the family tree. "Mostly fire as a first nature, and water as a second," Aoi assessed thoughtfully. She unrolled the scroll further, going into older generations. "But water seems to be predominant the further back you go."

"What does that mean?" Hinata asked timidly. She was curious too. It was her clan, after all.

"I think," Aoi drawled, "It could have changed when the Hyuga joined Konoha. Initially your clan was mostly water-natured, with fire as a second, but marriages with fire-natured Konoha shinobi would have inverted that somehow..." she mumbled to herself. She reached into one of her own pockets and got out a new blank scroll, on which she started drawing circles and squares. "But water nature occasionally resurfaces in the younger generations, like with..." she looked up at the scroll, "Neji." She wrote _Wa_ under the bottommost square.

It was a schematized version of the family tree she'd copied, Hinata realized. The squares represented males, and the circles females.

Aoi drew an oblique line from Neji to his father, and another one from Neji to his mother. Hinata furrowed her brows. Family trees weren't drawn like that. Sensing her confusion, Aoi explained, "I'm quite sure chakra nature is genetic, and that it's not determined by a single gene. If it's multiple genes normal family trees won't help. What I'm using is called the pathway to common ancestor method. It lets me calculate how many genes two people in your family have in common. You and Neji are cousins, but your fathers are identical twins. You have 1/4 of your genes in common."

There was a lull in the conversation as Aoi drew more lines, and wrote down natures, linking everyone up on the family tree. She was obviously in a good mood, smiling as she did it, satisfied with whatever conclusions she came to. "Such an old clan, and with so many twins. This is perfect."

"Is there, um, anything else I can do?" Hinata inquired timidly.

"Well," Aoi considered, "do you remember someone in your family with notable characteristics in their chakra nature? Someone with particularly strong fire, or water," she proposed.

Hinata shook her head. "The Hyuga don't normally use elemental jutsu. But I can research a bit, if you want."

Aoi rolled the scrolls and stood up. "That would be helpful. Thank you, Hinata. I owe you one." She shot Hinata a wry smile and left, already thinking about what she would do next.

* * *

_A.N: This chapter felt unnecessarily long. Do you think I should shorten some bits or get rid of the internal monologuing? I can't decide. _

_Also, time is passing, yay! Only a few months before the start of cannon. (This is gonna take way longer than I initially planned).  
_

_Thank you for the reviews (and cookies). You're wonderful, wonderful people._


	22. Secretive

_A.N: Don't kill me? I know this is late, but it's longer than normal... Really long this time. _

_Thanks for all the feedback. I appreciate it. Tell me what you think about the extra._

__(Anon, from way back in the beginning? Wow, you dropped by. Yuuuuuup. Strange for me, too.)__

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Two

_**[secretive:** (of a person or organization) inclined to conceal feelings and intentions or not to disclose information.]_

* * *

Aoi had to balance her research with Team Shikaku's activities. They reverted to D-Rank missions, much to the Genin's annoyance, but their Sensei never bothered to explain, just forced them to work. Thankfully it didn't take nearly as long as before to complete them and they spent the rest of the day training.

Shikaku seemed to be focusing on Daichi. He had the boy practice the basic exercises over, and over, and over again, and eventually, as was inevitable, Daichi exploded. "But I already _know_ this," he argued after the third day the Jounin told him to practice with chakra stones. "This is Academy stuff!"

Shikaku sighed. "Your control is mediocre at best, you're impatient and you overestimate yourself. We have to solve all three problems."

Daichi closed his fist over the stone and threw it at the ground in frustration. "I'm just wasting my time! I could be sparring, or learning a new jutsu, like Aris! Why will you teach him, but not me?" It was ironic, since Shikaku was actually spending most of his time on him, and neglected his other two students.

The Jounin's eyes hardened. "Pick up the stone." Daichi didn't move, fuming. "Fine. You might as well do your own thing, then. You clearly know what you need better than me."

That always seemed to work. Despite the protests, the Genin had developed a healthy respect for Shikaku over time. "Make it spin, make it spin, I'll show you," he grumbled, but obeyed.

It irked Aoi that her Sensei wasn't paying her any attention, but she supposed it made sense, since she was the most advanced out of the three of them. He still pointed out her mistakes when she made them, and their relationship had more or less returned to normal, at least on the outside. He hadn't asked her anything more about the Orochimaru incident. She wanted to ask about Kabuto, but always held back.

Aris and Aoi regularly sparred each other, following a set of rules to limit the conditions of the fight which varied each time. They ranged from using only their left arm to fighting on the trees and losing if they touched the ground. For this spar, they couldn't come within three meters of each other, forcing them into mid and long-range combat. Aris arched his arm and snapped his fingers _à la Mustang_, shooting out a small fire bullet which she easily avoided, retaliating with a barrage of shuriken. It was difficult to land a decisive hit, but that was the whole point.

They had been going for an hour already when a chakra signature appeared over to the side of the training ground. They both immediately stopped and turned to face the new threat, adrenalin singing in their veins.

He was striding lazily over to them, his nose in an orange book. "Yo."

Shikaku ambled closer, too. "Kakashi. You're late. But thanks for coming." The Genin relaxed.

"No worries. I have lots of free time." It almost sounded bitter.

Shikaku seemed amused, the corner of his mouth twitching in the effort to suppress a smile. "Aoi, this is Hatake Kakashi," he introduced, obviously ignoring the mission all three of them had been involved in some time ago. "He's going to teach you a lightning jutsu. Aris, we have something to work on. Come with me."

Kakashi looked every bit as he was depicted in the manga, right down to the unlikely hair. He was a character Aoi had liked - she'd always respected intelligent people. He had also saved her from Kabuto once, but she supposed she'd returned that debt with interest.

He stared at her in silence through his droopy eye. It was a moment of mutual acknowledgement. _We know who each other is. You did that, and I did this._ Finally he pocketed his book and creased his eye in a smile. "Right. Let's go."

They moved far enough away that they couldn't hear Daichi's complaints before he turned to her again. Aoi was quite excited, to be honest. The legendary Copy Ninja was her teacher, who wouldn't be? She knew he wouldn't teach her chidori, but he was supposed to know a thousand jutsu, right? There had to be a nice, useful one she could learn. Not to mention she'd never tried a nature transformation before.

"I've noticed you don't have any effective long-ranged techniques," he started. "It's quite surprising, actually. Since you're a medic, you'll rarely directly engage the enemy, which means your main role will be support. Knowing a couple of good mid-to-long-range jutsu to help your team is crucial."

She didn't bother mentioning that close combat was her strong point. She agreed with him; one of the rules set by Tsunade of the Sannin long ago dictated that medics must avoid combat whenever possible. Besides, having a long-ranged jutsu in her arsenal wouldn't hurt. Maybe something like that clone that turned into lightning? That would be cool.

"I've thought of an adequate jutsu for you." Aoi had trouble keeping the anticipation off her face. "It has the added benefit of expending mostly physical energy, meaning you can conserve your spiritual energy for healing."

At this, she felt she had to object. "I have _lots _of spiritual energy," she stated with emphasis.

"You do?" The question mark curled in the air between them.

"Yes. About two parts to one part physical. I've always had to balance jutsu carefully."

That was unusual, Kakashi thought. Only older shinobi who placed particular emphasis on meditation and specific techniques showed such an imbalance. At this age, her physical energy should still be slightly higher than her spiritual energy, even if she was a medic. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Aoi repeated impatiently.

He wordlessly pushed up his headband and stared at her with the Sharingan.

Like every time he used Obito's eye, the world came into sharp focus, lines oddly clear and defined. It had made him lose consciousness, the first few times. Now the uncanny detail showed him a surprising lack of reaction on her part - usually, people were at least curious upon seeing his eye. Though maybe she'd seen it before, he wasn't sure; that whole episode was clouded in unconsciousness and pain. "Expel some chakra from your hand. Don't adjust the energies."

The Sharingan couldn't see the chakra system like the Byakugan, but it could see chakra flow to an extent. She'd told the truth. Her chakra was a navy blue shade instead of the usual lighter blue, meaning its composition was mainly spiritual.

Wasn't that curious. He put his headband down, wondering if Shikaku was aware of this quirk of his Genin's. "In that case, I'll teach you the pumped-up version," he decided. "Watch."

Kakashi threw a kunai at a nearby tree with casual grace, embedding it in the wood almost up to the hilt. Aoi spotted the glint of wire string in the air as it caught the sun, and followed it to where it was loosely wrapped around his wrist. He did the hand seals slowly enough for her to distinguish them - Ox, Hare, Bird. Then he twisted his hand to grab the wire.

A blue light zapped through it and reached the tree. There was a small sound of impact, and the bark around the kunai blackened and crumbled away.

Aoi grinned.

"Basically, it's just sending your chakra in the form of an electrical current through the wire. You won't be able to cause more than a light shock, at first," Kakashi explained. "But eventually you should be able to generate a strong enough current to kill someone. If you put even more chakra into it, it looks like this." He did only the last hand seal this time. The lightning that sped through the wire was so bright it lit Aoi's face in a blue glow, and the noise when it hit its target was akin to a roll of thunder.

The tree blackened till halfway up the trunk. It shook dangerously, its bark snapping ominously in a long, loud crack. Leaves rained down.

Kakashi gave her another cheerful eye crease. "Your turn."

* * *

_O-ushi_ and _Usagi_ were guides for the elemental transformation, and _Tori_ controlled the release of the chakra into the wire. But _Usagi_ also came into play by regulating shape transformation and speed. It was a testament to Kakashi's skill that he could forgo the first two seals entirely.

By the end of the day Aoi could only manage a tiny current that sputtered and died along the wire. Kakashi assured she'd get better with practice.

* * *

"Guys, I have a suspicion," Daichi's voice announced over the comm channel.

Aris and Aoi adjusted their earpieces and flattened themselves against some tree trunks, waiting. At this point, even Daichi's moronic comments would be a welcome distraction. D-Rank missions seemed to serve the single purpose of boring everyone out of their minds. Their squad was over-qualified; the Genin didn't understand why Shikaku kept insisting on them. Aoi wondered if it was because most C-Ranks required they leave the village, and he was reluctant to let her out in the open again so soon.

"Did you find the target?" the Nara's voice asked. He was supposed to be higher up the trees, observing from a vantage point.

"Oh, no. Not about about that." There was a short silence in which Aoi imagined Daichi picking his nose. "I think Aris is gay."

Aris choked on air, too shocked to respond.

"I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense. He's not interested in girls. He spends half an hour on his hair every morning."

"I do not!"

His indignant outcry had probably scared off their target, but Daichi ignored it. "He's got three different kinds of shampoo. Also, he keeps a _diary_."

"It's a travel _journal_!"

"I see what you mean," Aoi answered thoughtfully. "He does the hair-flip thing."

Aris stared at her from his tree, half in anger and half in disbelief that she was actually joining in. A strand of hair fell over his eyes and ironically, he brushed it away in the exact way she was referring to, which detracted from his drama somewhat.

"You're so gay, dude," Daichi concluded cheerfully. "Maybe I should find a new flatmate. I don't feel comfortable sharing a room with you anymore."

Their blonde teammate produced more outraged sounds of protest before finally settling. "I'm not the one who told everyone to call him the Bedroom God."

"I was _five_!" Daichi yelled.

"Target approaching from the south-east, two hundred meters," Shikaku announced, cutting off the argument, though the tilt of amusement in his tone was distinguishable even over the static. Immediately the three Genin closed in on the position from different directions, Aris calmly striding over to the cat to distract it as Daichi crept closer to it from behind, a large bag held open between his hands. Aoi and Shikaku hung back, acting as the hypothetical "support" should it manage to escape. She vaguely remembered Naruto's team having to recapture the cat as well and wondered why it kept running away.

They made their way back to the Hokage tower to return it to their client and receive their payment. As usual, Daichi grumbled and made a token effort to argue for higher-ranking missions. To everyone's surprise, Shikaku replied, "Yes, we'll take a C-Rank tomorrow."

The whole process of missions in Konohagakure required a fair amount of paperwork that most shinobi were unaware of. The village first received the mission requests from private clients, or sometimes Konoha's Council, in the form of verbal statements or written requests. An official form was filled detailing the content of the mission, rank, and payment. Then it was passed on to the Hokage or his assistants who either accepted or rejected it in the name of the village. The balance was delicate, since Konoha had to accept enough missions to support its economy but not so many that they may overstretch their resources, resulting in dead shinobi, failed missions and a blow to their reputation.

The accepted missions were sent to the mission assignment desk, who was manned by Chuunin on an established rotation system. Ninja looking for a mission would go to the desk and be given one according to their skills. Occasionally, the Hokage would take his place behind the desk and assign missions personally if his other duties allowed it.

But that was, of course, how things worked on a superficial level only. Jounin had an entirely separate building to themselves where higher classified missions were available. Then there were unofficial ANBU missions that weren't technically taking place, missions that required the participation of specific shinobi who may or may not be in the village at the moment, and no wonder Kages tended to despise the whole process with a passion.

Aoi was torn between suspicion and elation when Shikaku announced a C-rank. She usually wouldn't be excited about the increased risk but she had been doing nothing but _chores_ since she graduated with the exception of the Orochimaru episode. She was more than prepared for a C-Rank.

Daichi punched the air. "Hell yeah!"

"With Team Gai," Shikaku added, straight-faced.

Daichi's arms fell, his expression quickly morphing to one of distaste. "What?"

Aris leveled their Sensei with an unimpressed stare. "Eyebrow freak and Princess? No thank you."

"I am infected by _Yersinia pestis," _Aoi announced_._ "I will die a horrible death within two to seven days."

Shikaku gave them his signature grin with too many teeth, threatening rather than reassuring, dark eyes glinting. "Nice try, team. Man up. This is an important mission for Konoha, so I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Why two teams?" Aoi asked, resigned. "Are we expecting too much trouble?"

"Not particularly, but it's what the client has requested," Shikaku shrugged. "And the Hokage approved it."

The mission was to take a contract signed by the Hokage to the owner of a shipping company in the islands north east of Fire, so the man could sign it and the contract would be sealed. In it, the businessman agreed to prioritize Konoha's interests as a buyer in exchange for a hefty sum of money. Apparently, his company mostly dealt in metals essential to shinobi warfare and Konoha needed him, which was why they hadn't been stingy about sparing two teams with respectable Jounin.

They would be leaving in the morning.

* * *

Extra: Hana

* * *

It was a beautiful day. Hana had worn her favorite blue sundress to work, and the children had told her she was pretty. It was sweet, and it put her in a good mood. She returned from the civilian school with the vague idea of baking some cookies to bring to the class tomorrow.

She didn't expect to find her ninja former student standing on her doorstep with a bundle of scrolls under her arm, or the dark-haired girl hiding behind her carrying more scrolls and papers. She hadn't seen the former in months, and had no idea who the latter was. "Aoi-chan, what brings you here? Not that I don't enjoy your company, but this is a bit sudden," Hana greeted cautiously, fumbling with her keys to open the door.

"I have something to ask you." As soon as she succeeded Aoi strolled straight past her into the house as if it belonged to her and turned left into the living room. Hana was used to the disregard for manners, but apparently Aoi's dark-haired companion found it outrageous, as her mouth opened and closed in shock.

"Sorry to intrude!" she finally squealed. "M-my name is Hinata Hyuga. Please f-forgive Aoi's manners."

Hana smiled, hoping it would calm down the flustered girl. She looked like she would let her scrolls fall at any second. "It's alright. Please, come in."

They sat down around the small tea table in the living room. Aoi unceremoniously picked up the vase of bluebells in the middle and placed it on the floor, while Hinata carefully arranged the scrolls on the cleared surface. Hana offered them tea, but they both declined. She smoothed down her lovely light blue dress before sitting down with them. "What is it?" she repeated, curious.

"I conducted an investigation with Hinata's help," Aoi stated without preambles. "We have obtained some results and want an outside opinion."

"And you came to ask me?" Was the first thing that popped into Hana's mind.

Th ninja shrugged. "Common sense is surprisingly rare in this village." It was a shock for Hana to learn that Aoi held her in such high esteem. Surely she had other mentors or friends she was close to? Then again, she really didn't know anything about Aoi's life, or ninja life in general. Though she couldn't deny that she was growing ever more intrigued by the set up.

They showed her the biggest scroll first. It was a table with five columns. "Are you familiar with chakra natures, Hana?"

The civilian shook her head. Having lived most of her life outside Konoha, all she knew about chakra was that ninja used it for their jutsu. Aoi seemed disappointed, but continued on. "I guess we'll just have to explain from the beginning, then," she exhaled resignedly.

They spent most of the afternoon discussing chakra and chakra natures. The girls had made a table with the properties of the main natures and they went over it, point for point. Hana lost track of time, fascinated by the new information - she was astonished to learn that chakra wasn't a mystical power, that it could be studied scientifically like they were doing. The angle of the sun through the window lowered gradually without her noticing.

Surprisingly, Hinata contributed a hefty amount, drawn out of her shell by Hana's natural kindness and patience. "Hinata can see the chakra system, and chakra itself," Aoi explained. "She knows more about certain things than I do."

The Hyuga blushed. "Th-that's not true, Aoi-chan."

They opened a second scroll, a family tree. Fortunately Hana already understood genetics from her previous conversations with Aoi, so they didn't have to waste time on that. "Tell me what you can guess about the heritability of natures from looking at this," Aoi instructed.

"I thought you had a theory."

"Yes, but I don't want to impose any bias on you. Tell me what you think first."

Hana stared at it for a while. She asked for a blank scroll and started plotting probabilities. "Well, it's not a single-gene inheritance," she concluded.

Aoi nodded, pleased. "You're right. It's polygenic." She got out another scroll with the drawing of a person in it. "Many genes define the trait, and their effects get added up. For example, you can have five genes saying _water_, two saying _fire_, and one saying _wind_. You'd have a water affinity, but your chakra would also behave a bit like fire or wind."

Underneath the drawing was written:

_Genotype: Wa Wa Wa Wa Wa F F Wi. Phenotype: water with fire as a secondary._

Hana nodded. It was the same as skin color, she supposed, or height, but without the environmental factor. "Interesting. How did you work it out?"

Aoi extended a new scroll with a diagram in the shape of a pentagram of the five natures, but with extra lines linking to natures outside and inside the pentagram. "I first thought of it when I remembered _hybrid_ elemental jutsu, families whose jutsu are an intermediary of two elements. Their chakra has the properties of _both_ elements at the same time, not one or the other."

"Suggesting there are intermediary states in the trait," Hana guessed. At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder. She already knew that Aoi was more intelligent and mature than most children her age - scarily so, sometimes. She'd come to accept it, treating her like one of her peers rather than the children she taught. But right now she was having trouble thinking of _adults_ who could come up with something like this.

Aoi smiled at her. "Exactly. But I couldn't confirm it until Hinata helped me." She nodded at her companion imperceptibly.

"I-I can see it," the shy girl revealed. "When someone expels chakra, I can see the way it behaves. I-It's different for everyone. I noticed it before but I thought it was because of the chakra signature, not elemental affinities." She twirled her fingers nervously. "It's hard to explain. For Aoi it gives off a humming f-feeling but also sinks q-quite a bit."

"She saw people whose chakra acted only like one nature, or like three different natures at the same time. Most of my genes say _lightning_, so I am primarily lightning-natured. But some of them also say _earth_. If I were to make a jutsu, I'd have to choose one of the natures I lean towards, unlike the families with kekkei genkais, who could just create the intermediary element. We tested it with more people to make sure, and we've concluded that Hinata can predict elemental affinities with ninety-nine percent accuracy."

Yes, impressive, Hana thought. Not only that, but she was starting to notice that Aoi's way of thinking was just radically different. Analytical. Methodical. She observed a phenomenon, came up with a hypothesis, designed a way to test it, drew a conclusion, tested it again to make sure she wasn't wrong. It was unprecedented and extremely interesting, more than the matter of nature inheritance itself.

"We used the family tree to work out the actual number of genes involved," Aoi continued, oblivious to Hana's musings. "We think there are eight, but it's mostly guesswork from the fraction of genes individuals have in common. We could try to find the tree of a different family and see if it works for them..."

"Where did you learn this?"

Aoi looked up, surprised by the interruption. "Huh?"

Hana shook her head, smiling. "This research is very impressive, Aoi-chan, Hinata-chan. Where did you learn how to think and plan like this?"

Aoi's face closed off in that carefully neutral, inexpressive way of hers that betrayed the next words out of her mouth would be a lie. "What do you mean?"

Hana sighed, pretending to swallow her oblivious act, though they both knew she hadn't. "Never mind." It was one of those things Aoi would never tell her.

"Anyway," the ninja continued, a distinct edge of caution present in her tone this time, "we came to ask you what you thought we should do next. There is a number of ways we could go from here. We could investigate the bloodline limits, or the Hyuga's abilities to see chakra, or continue with the family trees..."

Hana pursed her lips. To her, what they should do was clear. They'd managed to find out so many things in the course of their research already. Not sharing the knowledge would be a waste. She told them so. "I think that, no matter what you chose, you should speak to a ninja about this. Someone else who does research. I can't judge how significant these discoveries are, but they should definitely be shared."

Hinata looked horrified, pale eyes widening. Her head snapped to her friend. "Aoi-chan, we can't-"

"I know, Hinata." She put her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "We won't."

Hana stared between the two of them, confused. "Girls, it's your responsibility as members of society to transmit the knowledge you possess, especially if it can help others. Keeping it to yourself is just selfish."

Aoi shot her a wary glance. "_You'd_ say something like that."

Hana answered without a trace of doubt. "Yes. It _is_ your responsibility. This society gave you much of the knowledge you have, and it's only right that you give back so others can use it. Knowledge is what lets us advance as a civilization. If everyone kept their discoveries secret, we would still be living in trees." This was one of the beliefs at the core of Hana's ideals, the main reason she became a teacher. She was utterly convinced of its value, and it showed in her unwavering gaze.

Aoi glanced away. "What if the methods by which I acquired this knowledge are... Questionable?"

The teacher hesitated, then. It sounded like they'd done something on the side of the slightly illegal. She stared at the scrolls on her table under a new light. "Then do it legitimately, Aoi. I'm sure that if you tried, you'd find a way."

There was a silence.

"What if the knowledge is dangerous?"

"Dangerous?"

"Yes," Aoi confirmed. "What if it put _me_ in danger, or someone could use it to make the world _worse_?" Her yellow eyes were oddly intense, almost burning into Hana's own.

That was when Hana realized that sometime in the last minute the topic of conversation had switched from the papers on the table to something else entirely. The knowledge Aoi was referring to wasn't chakra natures at all.

It was something different, something that she'd never told anyone and that Hana had unwittingly stirred up with her speech. It was big, the civilian could deduce that much, for Aoi to be so serious, or was she _scared_? The possibility shocked the woman, but she'd known her former student for long enough to recognize the uneasiness in her body language.

"Then you, at least, should use it for the betterment of society, if you can't trust society with it," she finally stated with confidence. "Aoi, knowledge has a price, and it's responsibility."

She watched the wheels spinning behind the golden eyes, and hoped she'd pushed in the right direction.


	23. Cowardly

_A.N: I'm sorrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy! Don't kill me please! I'm still young!_

_Yeaahhh... I took a break. But I'm back now! Enjoy the chapter?_

_Thank you for the reviews and favs, I'm not worthy._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Three

**_[cowardly: 1. _**_lacking courage to face opposition, difficulty or danger. 2. despicably mean, covert, or unprincipled.]_

* * *

In the cool minutes before dawn, Neji settled down to meditate in a secluded corner of the Hyuga compound, away from the noise surrounding the main house. Legs crossed, one hand forming a seal in front of him and the other on his knee, he let his chakra swell and ebb with every breath. In. Expand it to reach every part of his body, from his feet to his forehead. Out. Pull it back into his coils, tight and compressed. In. Out. Lee and their monster of a sensei preferred to start the day with their ridiculously intense stamina training, but Neji had always found meditation more effective in awakening the mind, activating the chakra network and stretching the senses.

Today, he couldn't reach the usual state of peace he was looking for. He had trouble letting go of the thoughts of his upcoming mission - the anticipation was always there, as well as a fair bit of annoyance at the prospect of spending any length of time with his moronic sensei, and some curiosity about the team they were undertaking it with. This was the first time they went on a joint mission and he wondered if that was because they were more likely to encounter danger.

Probably. There was no other reason he could think of.

After a while he stood up, patted himself down making sure his appearance was still clean and professional, and headed for the meeting point. He acknowledged none of the family members he passed on his way out of the compound, Branch or Main. The former he felt ashamed of and the latter he refused to even look at if he didn't have to. Was it not enough that he was forced to follow every single of their orders like a slave? They'd have his obedience, but never his respect.

"Ah, Neji-san, good morning! I hope you're prepared for this fantastic adventure we're about to embark on!"

"Indeed! You look youthful today as always, Neji!"

Neji's expression was dangerously close to distaste and he reflexively schooled it back to something more neutral. Over the past year he'd come to accept that Gai and Lee's ridiculous behavior was not an indicator of their intelligence, but he still found it extremely irritating.

Thankfully Shikaku Nara arrived soon after him. His sanity was spared as the Spandex Monsters focused their attention on the new arrival. "Good morning, mission leader!"

Neji's eyes immediately picked up on the Nara's rumpled clothes, the bags under his eyes, and a small cut on his shoulder that was still a pinkish color, all pointing to a late night mission. "Good morning," the Jounin greeted, putting his hand in front of his mouth to suppress a yawn.

"Nara-sama," Neji replied with a bow of the head.

Shikaku shot him an unreadable look but nodded in response as well.

"Great, the Princess and the Bowlcut Duo. I can't _wait_ to start this mission," Daichi sneered loudly enough for everyone to hear him, as he approached from another road with his teammates.

Gai's thick eyebrows shot up into his hairline. In half a second he had his arm locked around the Genin's neck and was squeezing tightly. "You should greet your comrades politely. Especially if they're as cute as my little Lee-kun!"

Neji watched Daichi trying to breathe in air through his crushed windpipe with dark satisfaction. Normally he wouldn't wish Gai's attention on anyone, but he had no such reservations when it was Daichi. The boy was crude, arrogant, and stupid. Living proof that evolution could work in reverse.

"A shinobi must be respectful and supportive of his comrades! It is important to create an environment in which each individual can thrive and blossom into their youth!" Gai continued to lecture, while Daichi's face turned a curious shade of blue. His teammates stared at the scene with equal disinterest. Even Shikaku didn't make a move to help.

Tenten was the last to arrive, looking fresh and with a bright smile on her face. "I'm the last one? Gai-sensei, you should stop hurting him. Let's go!" she declared cheerfully.

"Before that," Shikaku interrupted. He cleared his throat. "I'm sure you all know what the mission consists of, but it won't hurt to make sure. Aoi, debrief."

The girl gave a pained sigh and slumped further against the wall she'd been leaning on. Neji had always disliked her. He didn't understand people who behaved like they were less than they were, just like he looked down on those who thought they were more.

In all the years they'd sparred together at the Academy, neither of them had fought to their full ability. Mizuki had constrained them to the Academy katas and forbidden any blows that would seriously hurt. Besides, Aoi seemed to actively avoid attention for a reason that Neji had yet to figure out, and he had the feeling that she might have lost some of their spars on purpose. Which was simply ridiculous. It unnerved him that someone he'd been so sure he could beat for so long might have been _mocking_ him all this time.

If he could just fight her seriously once, with no restrictions, he'd finally get rid of the uneasy feeling that harassed him like a persistent fly every time he saw her. But Neji was no longer an Academy student, and going around provoking people was below him now. (It would also mean admitting to his doubts on his ability to defeat her and that was something he'd never articulate).

"We have to take a scroll to a merchant in Atatakai," she droned, conveying as much enthusiasm as a rock. "It's in the coast of the Land of Hot Springs."

The unimpressed silence lasted a few seconds. Shikaku gestured to Aris resignedly.

"The company is one of the major transporters of all kinds of metal in the Shinobi Nations," Aris explained with a certain air of superiority. "They obtain it from the Haran Islands between Lighting, Fire and Water. Because the islands are a valuable resource, they're always a point of tension between the three countries. At the moment there is a treaty stating that they're neutral territory and none of the nations are allowed to exploit them directly, which is why we have to deal with third parties. The scroll we're transporting contains the details of the agreement between Konoha and the shipping company and is actually quite important for the village."

Shikaku nodded, kneeling to start drawing a map on the dirt with a kunai. "Exactly. Kumo and Kiri can't publicly stop us, since we're not breaching the treaty. But," Shikaku glanced up briefly to look at the assembled ninja, "they won't just sit quietly and let us claim a portion of Haran's metals either. I wouldn't be surprised if the mission goes B-rank. Here's our itinerary."

Shikaku went over possible routes, places more likely for ambushes and points where they would regroup should they be separated. He did it in a peculiar way: not as a superior dictating orders but rather by asking questions and opinions from the Genin so they would put a plan together themselves, while he observed, evaluating. By the natural way his students participated in the debate, Neji could tell that this was quite normal for them.

Neji found himself leaning closer with a newfound interest and approval for the Nara. Gai never bothered to plan missions so extensively. Or maybe it was that the ones he picked were always tediously straight-forward. Whatever the case, he appreciated the new experience. He learned that Aoi showed an uncharacteristic interest in things that challenged her intellect and that Daichi indeed had the IQ of a matchstick. Tenten put forward a few acceptable comments, while Lee did little more than exclaim his admiration for others' ideas.

"One last thing," Shikaku said when they were about to set off. He got out a red scroll from his pocket. "Who carries the item?"

He was staring straight at Neji, obviously expecting an answer. The Hyuga thought, not letting the way he'd been put on the spot rattle him. "We shouldn't know," he finally suggested. "That way, if one of us gets captured in an ambush, we won't give it away. We could even carry fake scrolls as decoys."

Neji knew it was the right answer when Shikaku grinned wolfishly. He didn't let the satisfaction show on his face, of course. Part of being called a genius was making sure others believed you weren't capable of error. Aoi smiled at him, but he ignored it.

"Correct." Shikaku reached into his pack and grabbed five more scrolls, all identical to the first, and gave one to each of them. "Only I know who carries the real scroll now. The others are trapped. Daichi, did you get that?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not stupid," he replied, quickly putting his hands behind his back to mask the fact that he'd been about to open his scroll.

Gai laughed. "Sharp as always, Shikaku-san."

"Yosh! This is an astounding strategy. I have no doubt that the mission will be completed successfully."

Shikaku nodded seriously and straightened. "Move out."

* * *

The first night they set up camp still well within the Land of Fire, protected by the forest. Shikaku and Gai deemed it safe enough to let them build a small fire. The day had been peaceful and hot, but as night fell a chill started creeping in and Aoi was grateful for the extra warmth. They used a hardwood reminiscent of birch, favored by ninja because it emitted very little smoke and was fairly scentless.

When they were getting ready to settle down for the night Gai made an announcement. "Listen up, my cute little Genin! Shikaku-san and I have something very important to tell you!"

Aris and Aoi slowed down in their contest of racing backwards and forwards through the twelve basic hand seals. The others also lifted their heads from whatever they'd been doing.

"We've decided to nominate you for the upcoming Chunin exams," Shikaku said without preamble. "We both feel that our teams are ready. For the most part."

There was a startled silence around the campfire until the children whooped with joy. Tenten and Lee jumped up and did a victory dance. Aoi even saw Neji smiling and heard him mutter something that sounded like "About time." She allowed herself a smirk. Really, she'd been ready for the exams for a long time now. While becoming a Chunin would increase the amount of dangerous missions, she knew she had more than enough skill to handle it. The D-Ranks had almost driven her to suicide.

"This is, of course, just a nomination. It is your choice whether to accept or not," Shikaku continued. "You could wait six more months until it's Konoha's turn to host the exams, if you're not confident."

Aoi opened her mouth to declare she was more than confident but Lee beat her to it. "I am honored by the trust you have placed in me and promise not to disappoint you, Sensei!" His eyes were wide and watery.

"Ah, Lee, such youthful enthusiasm! It brings tears to my eyes!"

"Where is this exam?" Neji asked, his quiet voice a counterpoint to the others' loud exclamations.

"It's in the Village Hidden in the Sand!" Gai informed. "They are the Leaf's allies, so it's reasonably safe!"

Aoi paused. Sand... Sunagakure. Her stomach twisted with apprehension. That psychopath Gaara was there, the kid who killed people for no reason. But it wasn't all, the feeling of dread was due to something else. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like there was something important she was forgetting, but it didn't make sense. It should be fine to go to Suna. The exams she had to avoid were the ones in six months, when Konoha was invaded. That was when Orochimaru would appear.

...Disguised as the Kazekage.

"Ah, fuck."

The Genin were too busy animatedly talking among themselves to notice, though Shikaku shot her a look. When had Orochimaru usurped the post of Kazekage? Was it already done? She was dimly aware of the droplets of sweat that appeared on her forehead. She couldn't go, it was way too risky. She wet her lips with her tongue and spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "I don't think I'm ready yet," she stated as evenly as she could.

Daichi and Aris looked at her incredulously, then turned towards each other in confusion. Shikaku was sitting on the other side of the fire so she couldn't see his face, but she imagined he was gaping.

Surprisingly, the gaze she felt the most was Neji's. His mouth was twisted downwards in a frown, pearly eyes intent on her face. Aoi tried to seem nonchalant as she leaned back on her elbows and looked up, letting them absorb her statement.

"Why, Aoi?" Shikaku demanded once he'd recovered from the shock.

"I think I need more time to hone my skills," she lied. Since she knew this excuse was vague even for her, she added, "I'd rather increase my chances of success a bit more. I don't fancy dying in my first attempt."

"You don't trust my judgement?" Shikaku countered, feigning hurt.

She shrugged, letting the accusation roll off her shoulders.

It then occurred to her that if she went to Suna, knowing as much as she did, perhaps she could do something. Maybe her mere presence in the Land of Wind would put a wrench in her father's plans. Maybe it could stop or hinder the invasion of Konoha and the death of the Third six months later.

_Knowledge has a price, and it's responsibility._

Yeah, and maybe she'd be squished like a bug under Orochimaru's sandal. Aoi nodded to herself and answered all the following questions in her usual indifferent manner, satisfied with her decision.

She was surprised when Neji suddenly declared, "I'll wait too." His eyes were still fixed on her with intensity. He was the only one who hadn't spoken yet.

"Why?" Tenten scrunched her face.

"I have a feeling the following exams will be more interesting."

_You have no idea,_ Aoi thought. On the outside, she smiled placidly.

Somehow, her and Neji's withdrawal caused Lee to declare he needed more training as well. After a few moments of staring blankly at her teammates, Tenten shrugged and mused that she didn't want to go to a foreign country alone and would wait a few months too. Aris and Daichi looked at each other. "We're going," they said in unison. "You're all chickens," Daichi added.

Shikaku sighed and rubbed his head. "Are you sure?"

"You just said-"

"I was counting on you having a medic," he cut. "But I'm not going to withdraw your nominations. You can still go, but please consider your options carefully." He sighed again and shot a last dark look at Aoi before declaring she had first watch.

* * *

The following day Gai pushed them into a breakneck pace. Daichi consumed a soldier pill behind the Jounin's back. Neji, who was running alongside him, almost grimaced in disgust. The boy grinned at him and pushed forwards with a new burst of speed.

Aoi was in the middle of the group. Just by the way Shikaku had arranged the formation, she could tell that either she or Lee had the real scroll. Most likely Lee, since he had much more stamina and could run faster. Shikaku wouldn't have kept it himself or given it to Gai since the Jounin would be the first targets in an ambush.

The journey passed uneventfully, until they were deep in Hot Springs territory and Shikaku stopped. "It makes no sense, Gai. It's better to rest."

The man in the green suit nodded grimly and signaled for them to stop. Then he started a set of stretches.

"We're being followed?" Tenten asked.

"Since this morning," Shikaku confirmed. "I'm guessing about eight or ten."

Neji had already activated his Byakugan. "They're still outside my range."

"Hide your signatures and take up positions," the Nara instructed, running through a series of handsigns. "Standard ambush, but if it gets ugly, you get out of here and let us handle it. Your primary objective is to complete the mission and get those scrolls to Atatakai, no matter what happens." He paused for a moment. "If Gai and I are unable to give orders, Aris is in charge."

Branches rustled in the wind, muting every other sound. They had disappeared so thoroughly it was impossible to tell anyone was waiting there at all - there was a reason why their village was Hidden in the Leaves. Konoha's ninja, even substandard Genin, knew how to use the dense foliage and three-dimensional space trees provided to conceal all aspects of their presence. Aoi lay flat against a tree trunk, the bark scraping her back, chakra compressed tightly into her coils with a layer around it to avoid detection.

She didn't know how worried she should be. According to the timeline, Shikaku and Team Gai should be fine, which meant that she'd most likely survive as well. But according to the timeline Kabuto hadn't been captured by Leaf in a mission to draw out Orochimaru before the invasion even started. At the same time, she didn't think they were really a threat, even if there were ten of them. She remembered Shikamaru taking care of a similar number of enemy ninja by himself at some point, setting up an ambush just like this one. She didn't think his father would be any worse. And Gai was here as well.

They could probably handle it, even if there were Jounin.

Plus, she was a medic. She wasn't even supposed to directly engage.

That didn't stop the adrenalin from pumping through her veins, making her fingers tremble.

"Ten of them," Neji announced in a whisper from somewhere above her.

Aoi forced her hand to still and slid it inside her waist pouch, fingers closing around a kunai and the length of wire it was attached to.


	24. Pivotal

_A.N.: I wanted to get the entire mission in one chapter. Ta-dah. It might seem filler-y at first, but it's a big turning point?  
_

_Let me know what you think. It has been edited so many times I don't trust myself anymore._

_Also, there be **ART**! Check out my profile._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Four

_[**pivotal**: of crucial importance in the development or success of something else.]_

* * *

In Aoi Momoru's apartment there were three rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small kitchen and living room all into one, with a bed at the corner. If asked why she didn't sleep in the bedroom Aoi would shrug her shoulders and answer there was a leak that never got fixed or offer some other lame excuse. In truth, she'd only moved her bed out of the bedroom recently. It was after the episode in which she was forced to stay at the hospital for two days and her friend had rushed into her home to search for reading material to entertain her.

At the time, Lee had brought back all matters of papers and a cage with two rats in it. If he'd looked closely enough at the rats, he'd have noticed the patches of fur growing unevenly or the seemingly inconsequential cuts on their skin. If he'd paid more attention to the papers, he'd have been surprised at the squiggles and diagrams in a mix of Japanese and a completely foreign language. But thankfully for Aoi, Lee wasn't that observant.

However she did realize that it was careless to leave evidence of her experiments lying around in her apartment, even if she never had visitors. Hence, all experimental material was moved to the bedroom, her bed was moved out, and the bedroom door was locked. It wouldn't keep out determined ninja, but it would work against accidental visitors like Lee. Not that she had anything terribly incriminating in there - the more sensitive notes were stacked away in a safer place - but she preferred that people didn't accidentally stumble upon her data. She had the idea of investing into privacy seals or perhaps moving her improvised lab to one of the unused Root tunnels in the future, but for the moment the bedroom was good enough.

Inside, there were many shelves with papers and scrolls, the now empty cage, and other strange set ups against the walls. One of them was a length of ninja wire held taut by two metal pegs, one at each end, connected to a black box in the middle. The box measured the current intensity and voltage between the two pegs. Around the machine were strewn used lengths of wire.

Aoi had found out that there were as many types of ninja wire, if not more, than there were types of kunai or any other ninja weapon. Some were almost invisible to the eye unless the sunlight caught on them, others were thicker but less fragile, some were meant to cut, some were meant to restrain. Some were more conductive of electricity than others. A lot were fairly responsive to chakra.

The standard wire available in the Workshop behind the Hokage tower was of an acceptable quality for use by the average ninja. However, Aoi had invested a substantial part of her budget into buying and testing the various kinds she could find around the village, convinced that at least part of the reason she was taking so long to learn the zap jutsu was the low-quality wire.

Kakashi had lifted his eye from his book when she'd mentioned it during one of their training sessions.

"And what did you find?"

"In a circuit, voltage equals current times resistance. In this case, the voltage is equivalent to the chakra input, and the current corresponds to the damage caused. I found that with some wires I could achieve the same current intensity, but with half the voltage, meaning that they offered much less resistance to electric flow."

Kakashi continued staring. Aoi shifted.

"That's not really the problem, because no matter how much chakra I push into the technique there comes a point when the current sort of disappears. The reason why you can cause so much more damage than I can is not because you use more chakra or have better wire." Her eyes narrowed in irritation. "And I can't think of any other options."

The Jounin closed his orange book with an audible snap and put his hands in his pockets. Aoi wasn't usually made uncomfortable by the stares of people but Kakashi did it for so long she looked away, pretending to examine the clouds.

"You're treating the current you send through the wire as a normal electrical current," Kakashi finally said. She nodded, eager to hear his thoughts. She didn't often get to have an intelligent scientific discussion. "It isn't. It might be transformed into lightning nature, but it's still chakra." He scratched behind his head. "It not only has the properties of normal electricity, but also of chakra, and your visualization of it has a large role to play."

Aoi wasn't happy about the reminder that chakra was exempted from the fundamental laws of physics but still listened intently as Kakashi proceeded to explain how lightning transformation worked on a more scientific level.

It barely took her a couple of hours after that. Aoi was impressed with herself, but also annoyed for having wasted a week trying to figure it out. On his report to the Hokage Kakashi wrote a smiley face and two lines. _Chakra skewed towards the spiritual side, _and_ needs the complicated explanations._

* * *

The rats had been the first living test subjects of the completed Zap no Jutsu (she was too lazy to come up with something more original and Kakashi hadn't provided an official name). She found a few things:

Rat fur and human skin were both good insulators, their resistance somewhere close to the million of ohms. However, only a few milliamps of current were enough to jeopardize the contraction of a rat's muscles, including the heart, and kill it. Which meant that the chakra input didn't have to be all that high. There was no need for Kakashi's flashy lightning.

Interestingly, if the current increased above a certain limit, there was a clamping effect on the heart, or in other words, a protection mechanism that isolated it from the path of the electricity. So while fifty milliamps would cause lethal irreversible damage, a hundred miliamps wouldn't.

At very high intensities, like Kakashi's flashy lightning, the point was moot because all other tissues got fried and the target died anyway.

Aoi had tried aiming for that window in which the heart was affected but not clamped out, which would allow her to kill her target with minimal chakra expenditure and without the visible lightning to give away how she was doing it. But the window was too small, resistance was affected by a myriad of petty factors like clothes or air moisture and it was impossible to adjust chakra input to account for them all. If she miscalculated in either direction, her target could overcome the shock and counter.

Flashy lightning it was.

* * *

The fight was brutal and short, over in little more than a dozen seconds. Shikaku secured the first two ninja that passed through the ambush spot. "Why'd you stop?" the ones coming behind asked, realizing the situation barely in time to jump backwards, away from their comrades. Shikaku still managed to catch three in his shadow but number six dodged out of range. He unfortunately got tangled up in some wire, there was a blue light, and he dropped like a stone.

Number seven was ambushed by Aris and Daichi, who attempted a pincer attack. The man performed a substitution with a fallen branch. "Where'd he go?" Daichi shouted, at the exact moment as the enemy appeared behind him, swinging a tanto. Aris flash-stepped in between them to block with a kunai. With his free hand he grasped the man's arm, who yelped in pain and jumped back, smoke coming out of his charred sleeve and burnt flesh visible underneath. While he was distracted Daichi kicked him from behind, rendering him unconscious.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one."

Tenten and Lee made similar work of number eight.

A few moments later Gai appeared with numbers nine and ten thrown over his shoulders, Neji standing coolly behind him, Byakugan still activated. "That's all of them," he confirmed.

They wore Mist hitai-ate. Any identifiable features save for the eyes were hidden with cloth and masks. There was a moment of silence in the clearing while the mystery ninja who were still conscious and trapped in Shikaku's shadow stared them down. The one at the front was a woman, and she seemed to be the leader. "What do you want?" the Nara asked. As she took her time to answer, his shadow climbed over her body, vaguely resembling the shape of a hand, and closed around her neck. "What do you want?" he repeated in a much lower tone. Aoi knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill her and question one of the others.

She turned away from the exchange, uninterested. There was a subject more worthy of her attention in the form of the fallen man at her feet. She crouched down next to him and started poking. _Hm. Still alive. How come? That should have fried his brain._ Curious, she removed the cloth that covered most of his face and hair, not even batting an eyelash at the odd shade of fluo pink. Strange colorings had lost their impact on her some time ago. Her palm glowed green as she ran it over his chest. _There's something_... She pushed up his shirt and frowned. There were hard, regular bumps under his skin, like embedded plates. _I don't even want to know what those are._

"Aoi-san, we're leaving," Tenten called. Aoi looked up, surprised to see her comrades waiting and none of the enemies left standing.

"Oh." She looked back down. "Do I kill him?"

"No," Shikaku quickly stopped her. "We aren't who they were really looking for and killing them in neutral soil could create problems."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. So the Mist nin had been chasing someone else? Alright then. Misunderstandings could happen. She stood up and took her place in the formation.

Shikaku praised them. "That was quick work, team. Well done."

Her teammates grinned at each other, pleased. Aoi supposed that they'd done quite well, for their first time facing a real enemy.

They arrived to Atatakai that evening. The town was quite similar to Yugakure in that it was a point of busy trade, but on an even larger scale. There was a harbor where ships docked and set out daily to many destinations, some as close as Wave country and other as far as the Land of Snow. The first ships they saw were primitive, made of wood and powered by sails; Aoi didn't understand how a civilization that had microwaveable products hadn't moved past the middle ages in terms of navigation (or weaponry, for that matter. She had yet to see a single gun). But as they advanced along the harbor they spotted bigger ships, made of metal and powered by steam, so she supposed they weren't that far behind.

She was walking behind Lee, Tenten and Gai, half an ear trained on their conversation about the different kinds of fish they would be able to eat here. "Where are we meeting our client?" Tenten finally asked, looking bored. She seemed eager to finish the mission and go back to Konoha. Aoi shared the feeling.

Gai pointed to a warehouse up ahead. "There! That is the main building of the shipping company."

There were letters printed on the side of the warehouse. Aoi squinted. _Transport_ something. As they got closer, it became clearer. _Gato Transport. Now why does that sound familiar?_

Lee glanced back. "What's wrong, Aoi-chan?"

"Is the company called... Gato Transport?"

"Yes. It was mentioned in the briefing," he supplied helpfully.

"And the owner of the company, Gato, is our client?" she added, just to check.

"Yes," Gai replied. "Next time, pay more attention in mission briefings!" he advised, chuckling.

Huh.

Aoi resumed walking.

Her first thought was that this mission was quite pointless. In a few months, Naruto's team would be assigned to Wave, Gato would die, and his business empire would be dismantled; hence, his contract with Konoha would be void. Her second thought was that the Hokage was an asshole for agreeing to trade with a man who was using his economic power to slowly strangle an entire country. Though maybe Hiruzen didn't know about the situation in Wave at this point.

When they arrived to the warehouse a woman claiming to be Gato's secretary informed them that he wasn't in Atatakai. "He was supposed to arrive here from Haran two days ago," she explained, "but business has held him back. He's requested you meet him directly in the islands. Your ship is waiting to depart."

Shikaku didn't seem happy. "The signing was supposed to happen here."

She sniffed haughtily. "That is what Gato-sama has requested. Either you comply or you go back the way you've come. You're not the only people we can trade with."

She obviously expected Shikaku to agree on the spot, and was quite miffed when he declared he needed to discuss the matter with his team.

"There's a reason why we were meeting in Atatakai," he started, once they were settled in a quiet corner of the warehouse. "It's close to the Land of Fire, and peaceful. The atmosphere in Haran is more tense. It's quite likely we'll be targeted, or even attacked randomly for no reason."

So basically, it was a free-for-all over there. Fantastic.

Gai's eyebrows pulled together until they formed a single black line on his forehead. "I see."

"Troublesome," the Nara agreed.

Tenten and Aris were having their own whispered conversation at the back.

"What about mister Gato? Isn't he in danger there too?"

"There's an implicit agreement between the nations not to harm the third party merchants," Aris replied. "Otherwise, no one would get anything."

Aoi didn't really pay attention, knowing that her sensei was just going through the motions and he'd already made a decision and formed a plan. Instead, she tried to remember everything she knew about Gato, which wasn't much apart from the fact that he was a millionaire and a douchebag. She sighed. This mission was full of too many complications already to have to deal with him too. Did Konoha need those metals all that much?

* * *

"I've been wondering that as well," Aris said, without lifting his eyes from his travel journal. The Genin were hanging around the little cabin that was allocated for them for the duration of the trip, each doing their own thing. Daichi munched on a bag of chips, purposefully chewing loudly to annoy Neji who was pretending to ignore him.

Shikaku had told them to keep their scrolls on their person at all times and get rid of their hitai-ate. They'd been uncomfortable at first, but complied, and eventually agreed to make their outfits more civilian.

The Hyuga had removed the bandages covering his arm and leg and jammed a hat on his head that concealed the seal on his forehead and cast shadows over his eyes. It made him look very un-Hyuga like, and he became the target of Daichi's insults for the day.

Shikaku and Gai had kept their own headbands and stopped interacting with them, instead making themselves visible patrolling the ship and talking to the crew. Aoi understood what they were doing: drawing the spotlight, to make it seem like the two Jounin were the only ninja on board.

Most of the Genin didn't see the point of so much subterfuge but Aoi was a firm believer in her sensei's _better safe than sorry_ routine.

"I mean, Konoha's imports of metal have been pretty steady over the last few years and I don't see why they'd suddenly decide they need more," Aris continued. "It's not like the number of ninja has drastically increased." He'd unconsciously adopted his _good student answering the teacher's question_ voice. Upon the silence that fell over the cabin, he looked up defensively and blushed. "What? I read stuff."

Aoi was already processing the information, her mind whirring through the implications. As realization dawned upon her Neji seemed to make the connection too. "We're preparing for war?" he phrased it as a question, shock permeating the irritated tone from before.

Aris shrugged. "That's what it looks like, yes."

War? Why would Konoha want to go to war? Could they suspect something about the Sand-Sound invasion in a few months? Aoi was pretty sure they were taken by surprise in the original timeline.

She groaned and put her head in her hands. Great. Another change.

Misinterpreting her reaction, her teammate tried to reassure her. "I could be reading too much into it. Maybe they just thought it was time to restock."

_Yeah. Could be a coincidence. Can't really do much about it now, anyway._

The cabin fell quiet as they each contemplated the likelihood of Aris's suspicion. Transporting a scroll had seemed sort of mundane at first, but looking at the big picture, the scope of the mission seemed much wider. The feeling of uneasiness persisted.

The ship was one of the relatively modern ones, bigger and with an actual engine. It would take them three days to reach the Haran islands. Aoi spent that time walking around, acting civilian, mingling with the other passengers. There was a family of six, an old couple, and quite a lot of random rogues hoping to find employment in the Haran mines. Aoi smiled and was pleasant to everyone she spoke to. It wasn't that hard to slip into the role. In fact, it was alarmingly easy.

For a moment, she could even pretend it was real.

There was this girl. Mitsuko. She was seventeen. And her brother, who liked to be called Ichi. He was sixteen. They approached her on the second day while she was eating lunch in the common room. "Yo, girl. Mind if we join you?"

Mitsuko had an odd sense of humor. She found the silliest things hilarious, and would crack very lame jokes. She was quite lovely, with long blonde hair and eyes a shade between brown and green. Ichi was a smooth talker, and liked to tease his sister about her grammar. They were both open and friendly, and Aoi found herself laughing only fifteen minutes after they'd sat down with her.

They were civilians. They had no ulterior motives except to have a nice chat. They didn't measure her up with their eyes to gauge her strength, or mentally catalog her face to cross-reference with a Bingo Book later. Like Hana, they were in a completely different world, the world that death had torn away from her and she could never go back to again.

Half-forgotten patterns came much more naturally than they should have. To anyone watching, she would seem like an entirely different person, less tense, less wary, smiling more easily. But the other Genin preferred to stay in the cabin and keep their own company, and their Sensei were too busy pretending not to know her to notice.

"So, why are you going to Haran, anyway?" Aoi asked, curious. She didn't think it was a good place for two civilians.

"We ain't really going to Haran. More like getting awa-"

"Not ain't, _aren't_, sister," Ichi interrupted, lightly bumping her under the table.

"Whatevs."

Ichi snorted before turning to Aoi with a smile. "We don't intend to stay in the islands. This ship is going to the Land of Lightning afterwards." He put his elbow on the table and his face on his palm. "What about you? Why are you traveling?"

"I'm visiting someone who works in the mines."

"Ah," Mitsuko nodded sagely. "A friend?"

"Something like that."

She spent quite a lot of time with the siblings for the rest of the trip. Aoi genuinely enjoyed the company. While she was keeping a civilian cover, she wouldn't have been able to train or do anything productive anyway. The opportunity to disconnect was almost unrealistic. The three of them could have been any group of teenagers in any banal holiday trip to any country. She hardly spoke to her team at all, only to discuss the finer points of their task in the darkness of the night when they were sure no one could hear them.

Even then she let others do the talking.

* * *

"We're gonna arrive!" Mitsuko announced breathlessly, running into the common room, her blonde hair flying around her face. "Let's go outside to check it out!"

Aoi followed her out. Shikaku and Gai were already there, frowning into the distance. She barely glanced at them before focusing on the scenery.

There were many small islands surrounding them, all dark and bare, little more than rocks protruding from the restless ocean. There was the shape of a bigger island at the front, clouded by mist. As they approached, details became clearer, a wooden dock that needed urgent repairs, with carts and crates of all sizes in different piles, and a road leading deeper inland, to the mines. Some shadows scurried along the dock, waiting for the ship.

At about the same time as Lee and the rest made their appearance on deck, the floor under Aoi's feet exploded and she was blown up and sideways. Someone screeched. Aoi only just managed to twist in the air and grab the metal railing of the ship, stopping herself from falling into the water. Instead, she slammed violently against the outside of the hull.

Her first thought was _Ow_. _That hurt._ Her second thought was _I can't believe it's already started. We haven't even set foot in the island yet. _Her third was _Shit! The civilians!_

She flipped back over the railing and surveyed the scene. A good chunk of the ship was blown off, and the chunk she was perched on was rapidly sinking. Shikaku and Gai were standing on the water, opposing three unknown ninja with dark skin. _Cloud_. The rest of the passengers had fallen into the sea, some struggling to get away, others floating lifelessly. For a moment of panic Aoi didn't spot Mitsuko and Ichi, until she saw them clinging desperately to a piece of the wreckage. She didn't see her team, but she was less concerned about them. They were sturdier. They'd surely made it out.

She plopped into the ice-cold water and swam over to the siblings. It was interesting how she'd never learned to swim in this life but still managed it without trouble. She supposed it was one of those things that was forever engraved in your brain, like riding a bicycle.

The siblings' faces were pale and their arms trembled as they gripped their floater. "Are you alright?"

"M-mostly," Ichi stuttered, visibly frightened.

A second explosion made waves and rocked the piece of wood. It looked like it had been some kind of furniture. They tightened their hold.

Aoi glanced back. She caught snippets of the conversation between the ninja. "...Told us two Konoha Jounin were around... expect the Green Beast, eh?"

"We need to swim to shore," she stated quietly to the siblings. "Staying here is dangerous." And cold. Under normal circumstances, Aoi would use her chakra to regulate her body temperature, but she didn't dare do so now with the enemy ninja so close and able to sense it.

"We c-can't swim so good," Mitsuko whimpered, close to tears.

Brilliant.

Without a word Aoi grabbed each sibling by the upper arm and started dragging them towards the shore, kicking her feet to stay afloat. They were both bigger and heavier than her, and seemed intent on sputtering and struggling, dragging her down, even when she calmly instructed them to please relax. To top it off she couldn't use any chakra to help support the weight unless she wanted to risk being detected. By the time she reached the halfway point to the island, her shoulders and legs were burning and her throat throbbing with the abrasion of salt water. Chakra was starting to sound very tempting. She must be far enough now.

The weight clinging to one of her arms was lifted. Tenten grinned at her, a bit forced. "We were looking for you. Glad to see you're alright."

They swam to the shore, where the rest of the team was waiting, all soaking wet. Daichi had a small gash on his forehead but after a glance Aoi determined it wasn't serious. She dropped Mitsuko on the dark sand, stepping over her as she heaved and spat water out.

"We need to go back," Lee was saying nervously.

"We have our orders, Lee," Neji replied, though his teeth were grit and he was staring intently in the direction of the wreckage, barely restraining himself from activating his Byakugan.

"But they could need our help!" He drew in an inspiration in preparation to shout. "Gai-Srmpppph!"

Neji had clasped a hand over his mouth. "Don't be an idiot!" he hissed. "Right now our only advantage is that they think there's only two ninja!"

Lee pushed his hand down. "But he's opening the Gates! Look!"

All the Genin simultaneously turned their heads towards where he was pointing. A faint green glow was visible through the mist, moving around so quickly it seemed more like a green line.

Aoi glanced at the civilians, who were finally starting to recover. Mitsuko seemed bewildered, but Ichi scowled at her darkly as he choked out the last of the water, a puddle forming underneath him.

She turned back to her team. "Our sensei can take care of themselves. We have a mission to complete." Shikaku could handle it. He was Jounin Commander. And Gai was a monster; the Genin's interference would more likely hinder them than help. And the sooner they were done with the damn scroll, the sooner they'd be able to return to the safety of the Land of Fire.

Lee still seemed like he was about to race off across the water to help his idol, making an aborted motion before tightening his fist in frustration. There was another explosion, of lightning this time.

She stared at Aris expectantly. It was annoying, but Shikaku had put him in charge.

"We need to find Gato-san and give him the scroll as soon as possible," he agreed reluctantly.

* * *

Nara clan jutsu were very tricky to use over water. In fact, there couldn't be a worse battlefield for Shikaku than the one he was currently fighting on. The mist didn't block out the sunlight, but dispersed it, meaning that there were no absolute shadows he could move his own in, and the semi-transparency of the sea only complicated things. To top it off, translating his shadow across liquid, shifting surfaces as opposed to solid ground was a skill he was trying to pick up on the run, having never needed it before.

He'd given up on it for the moment and reverted to more traditional jutsu and weapons, letting Gai take up the vanguard. Their opponents were two young Cloud Jounin and another ninja who hung back; they would have been lethal enough on their own, and, unlike Shikaku, the environment gave them an incredible advantage. The conductivity of the water they stood on provided a tremendous boost to their lightning attacks, forcing the Konoha nin to constantly maintain an extra layer of chakra to insulate themselves from the sea and the air.

Shikaku was a brilliant strategist, a very agile fighter, and had an acceptable jutsu arsenal even when he couldn't use his clan techniques, but his chakra reserves were average on the side of thin.

The male Kumo nin had managed to get past Gai and cloaked himself in some sort of chakra cloud that increased his speed exponentially. He grinned madly as he flew at Shikaku, palm set to strike. Shikaku could only move backwards, dodging and blocking with a series of flips too blurry to follow, but always on the defensive.

He grudgingly admitted that they'd planned this out well.

At this rate, he and Gai wouldn't last much longer.

He would have taken the battle inland to even out the playing field, but he couldn't do that until the Genin left. Their blurry shapes on the shore seemed to flicker, indecisive.

_Come on, follow the plan._

At least he could be sure Aoi would push to leave quickly. He just hoped it was quickly enough.

Finally they moved away. Shikaku stalled some more to give them a safe margin, earning himself a shallow gash across the chest and crisped fingertips, before taking off towards the solid earth, his opponent hot at his heels.

* * *

If it hadn't been for Aris's near encyclopedic knowledge of all things geographic, they probably wouldn't have a clue about which direction to head in. But thankfully he'd memorized the maps and knew where the mines were.

The siblings reluctantly tagged along. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to go, and the only other alternative was staying on the shore where high-level shinobi were tossing around serious jutsu, or freezing to death. It looked like they wanted to keep their distance, but fear and insecurity kept them within a few steps of the group. "Fucking ninja," Aoi heard Ichi mutter. Apparently they had something against ninja in general. It wasn't uncommon for civilians who lived away from hidden villages.

The complete turnaround in their attitude towards her summoned a pang of bitterness which she quickly banished to the back of her mind. It wasn't like it particularly mattered in the grand scheme of things. Or like it hadn't happened before.

Aris, who was walking at the front of the group, dropped back to talk to her. "Who do you think has the real scroll?" he whispered.

"Lee, probably."

He nodded. "That makes sense. If we're intercepted, we need to make sure he makes it out."

"...Yeah."

They trudged on, every step making a squish sound and forming a puddle in the mud. Aoi was cold, and miserable, but didn't complain. Daichi was doing enough of that for all of them.

They were incredibly lucky. Everyone they passed on the road seemed to be transporting something and didn't give the shivering teenagers more than a second look. It seemed like the general rule here if you were a civilian was to mind your own business. They weren't stopped.

Until, of course, they _were_.

Aoi was the first to notice someone was following them. Her sensing ability was nothing special, but they weren't trying to hide their chakra like her group was and she'd basically been waiting for it to happen. She subtly signaled to Aris, who nodded and quickened his pace to warn the rest of the group. Then her eyes slanted towards Ichi. He seemed jumpy.

When seven shapes appeared from behind the rocks to surround them, the Genin immediately formed a defensive circle around the siblings. Normally they would have dispersed and run, but it wasn't a viable option here.

Aoi didn't even have her medic pouch. She couldn't walk around armed to the teeth while she was undercover and all her things had been in the cabin when the ship had exploded. She didn't take out the few kunai she did have, not wanting to give away her hand before even identifying the enemy. Next to her Neji assumed an almost identical stance to hers, while on her other side Aris started gathering chakra.

"Whoa!" a man's voice said as he stepped out from behind a large rock. "No need to get all excited."

Aoi recognized him instantly, although his face was mostly covered. The burns gave him away. He was the pink-haired ninja she'd fried with her lightning back in the continent. This was the group of Mist Chunin they had ambushed.

"You said we're not who you were looking for," Tenten spat.

He made a placating gesture with his arms. "It was the truth. Though I _am_ a bit bitter about that ambush you pulled on us. As you can see, some of our comrades were seriously wounded and couldn't join us today." He surveyed the group, eyes stopping on Aoi momentarily. "Looks like the pesky shadow guy isn't here either."

Their stances lowered a fraction.

"Yeeesh, calm down... We're not looking for a fight with you," he resumed, faintly amused by the reaction. His body language was inappropriately friendly for the tension of the situation. "It's _them_ we want."

He pointed at the two civilians in the middle.

There was a silence.

"Why?" Neji demanded dryly.

"Hum, that is the Mist's affairs, I'm afraid."

Mitsuko was gripping her brother's arm like a vice. Ichi looked like he was going to be sick.

"So hand them over, and we'll each be on our merry way," Pink concluded cheerfully.

Aoi looked at Neji, then at Aris. In the end, he would be the one to make the call.

She deliberately avoided crossing gazes with the civilians.

Leaving them behind was the obvious choice. She didn't know what the Mist nin wanted with them, but she had no obligation towards the siblings, no ties - they were completely insignificant. Walking away and continuing on with the mission was the best option.

Aoi was a very practical and logical person.

"Tell us what you want with them first," Aris requested firmly.

Pink sighed dramatically. "Fine. They have the blood of demons. They must be exterminated. But don't tell anyone, okay? That's a secret." He winked.

Neji hissed "Bloodline purges" under his breath.

Oh yeah. Something they did in Mist. Killing the families with kekkei genkais. Pretty stupid, if you asked her, but sometimes ninja logic didn't make sense. Though... "They're civilians," she pointed out. They most likely couldn't even _use_ their bloodline.

Pink shrugged. "They're part of a demon family."

Mitsuko and Ichi were still holding each other, watching the exchange with wide eyes. Aoi could imagine how they felt. Their family killed. Escaping their home country, alone, assassins hot on their tracks. Their lives now hanging in the hands of a foreign group of Genin who had nothing to do with them and had their own mission to complete.

Aris had decided to prioritize the mission before, but choosing not to interfere in a fight between Jounin wasn't the same as standing by while two innocents were slaughtered without reason.

His shoulders sagged in defeat. "Sorry guys. The mission." He looked up at Pink and his eyes hardened. "I'm failing it. I can't just walk away."

_Naïve_. Aoi convinced herself it wasn't relief she felt; she was fairly sure _she_ would have chosen to just walk away. Sometimes, it was easier to let others decide. "Lee, you should leave," she added, driving her heels into the ground in preparation for the fight.

"I'm not abandoning you!" Lee declared, making a sharp motion with his arm. "If you fight, I will stand beside you!"

Aoi wanted to tell him to just go but that would be extremely hypocritical given that she was also ignoring the priority of the mission. And her chances of survival did increase if he stayed to help.

Daichi grinned. "I'm staying too. We took you out before, we can do it again."

Tenten huffed. "Fine."

Neji didn't speak, but activated his Byakugan.

"You know," Pink mused, flipping a kunai in the air, "I was kinda hoping you'd say that."

_Six against seven. Disadvantages: protect the civvies, and not enough weapons. _She and Neji had the same thought at the same time.

_Even it out. Strike first._

* * *

It was the only thing that saved them. Whatever the Mist nin had expected, it wasn't for them to go from zero to Kill without warning or hesitation. They cut straight for Pink like bullets, Neji already preparing a knifehand strike to the neck and Aoi sweeping low. One of the other ninja reacted quickly enough to intercept her, though Neji made it through to his original target.

Aoi's opponent grabbed her arm, but instead of stopping she used him as a pivot to spin around and double-kick him in the back. Her first foot merely glanced him, but the second crunched his ribs. He didn't let go, though, and waited for the moment when she'd just landed and was still catching her balance to punch her in the face.

Normally Aoi would have rolled with it to minimize the damage, but he still had her arm in a lock and, instead, he connected cleanly and pain exploded across her nose. She let herself fall, rather than trying to stay up. The unexpected weight dragged him down as well, putting his chest in range of her free hand.

What followed next was a series of grabs and flips where they each tried to get a dominating position or manage a good chokehold on the other. It was the single most intense and violent struggle Aoi had ever been in; a contest of pure strength, grip and momentum, where the sole objective was to reach a vital point first. There was no room to use anything but their bare hands, like two animals tearing at each other rather than human beings. That gave Aoi, as a medic-nin, a significant advantage; after a few seconds of struggle she managed to close her fingers around his neck and sever his spinal chord with a chakra scalpel. He went limp on her.

She threw him off, grunting. _One down. _She could hear her own heart pounding, making her feel more alive than she'd ever been.

She barely noticed that her chin was dripping blood. She did have the presence of mind to grab his kunai hostler and quickly tie it around her own leg.

By the time she stood up the fight was in full swing. The ground started rocking under her feet and she instinctively dove to the side, as a huge wall rose up where she'd stood the previous second. It separated the battlefield in two halves, isolating Neji's and Pink's fight from the others. She spotted another ninja slinking around, about to pounce on him from behind, not that something like that would work on a Hyuga, but since their numbers were even now she supposed that would have to be her next opponent.

She and Neji had been pitted head to head for so long it was strange to fight back to back. Even more so because they'd never seen the full extent of each other's skill, but they still managed to coordinate like they had. Perhaps the fact that they used a similar style helped.

When it became clear that it wouldn't be a quick fight, the Mist nin disengaged, jumping out of range.

Pink sighed, rolling his shoulder where Neji had hit it, and said something to his comrade. "What has he got under his skin," Aoi took the opportunity to ask, not taking her eyes off them, and at the same time assessing the terrain and preparing a Kawarimi.

Neji took a moment to focus his Byakugan. "Flat, solid plates. I'd say they're some kind of metal." He paused. "They repel chakra when it enters his body. The effectiveness of Jyuuken is... reduced to about half."

Well. That more or less explained how he'd survived Zap no Jutsu. But if they stopped chakra, then her scalpels and her numbing jutsu wouldn't work, either. This was going to be tricky. "And the other one?"

"Nothing extraordinary. She does have a large chakra pool, though, so most likely a ninjutsu specialist."

"I'll take her," Aoi decided. She'd have to get rid of the lesser threat quickly, so they could both focus on Pink. "Do you think you can hold the other off for a few minutes?" Neji nodded tightly.

"Less whispering, more action," Pink suggested with a friendly smile.

* * *

A drop of sweat rolled down Aris's forehead, along his nose, and dripped on the ground.

They were screwed.

Lee and Tenten had managed to drag two of the ninja away, but there were still two left, and only he and Daichi to defend the civilians. At his back, a huge wall of earth separated them from Aoi and Neji, so he couldn't expect help from them either until they were finished with their own opponents.

They were standing on a minefield. Literally. And the mines moved. And he had absolutely no way of knowing where. There could be one under his feet right now.

Every explosion forced him to jump away, get up, jump away again as another was set off, like he was dancing on a bed of hot coals. It was torture, especially because he _knew_ the fucker was just toying with them. He could end it anytime by detonating one right under them, but it was always off to the side, giving them barely enough time to avoid it.

Aris's body was burning with exhaustion.

Daichi was in a similar position, panting and gripping his kunai tightly. They could do nothing but wait and try to guess when the next explosion would go off. The only upside was that the hot air from the explosions had dispersed the mist and they could see their opponents clearly.

The enemy ninja was crouched on the ground with his hands touching the earth, and grinned at them. "Consider it payback." Aris tensed his muscles, waiting, but the seconds stretched and nothing happened. When he'd finally begun to relax, the ground trembled, and he dived desperately to one side, hoping he'd made it in time. Heat scorched his back and a piece of rock hit his shoulder.

The bastard was just messing with their minds.

They couldn't even move. If they tried to go in close, explosions stopped them. If they used kunai or long-ranged jutsu, the bastard's comrade, who was standing next to him, blocked it.

Aris needed to work out how Explosion Guy was making the ground go boom, and before he got tired of the game.

Very slowly, keeping his eyes on the enemy, he took off his sandals.

"Dude," Daichi said, panting. "I don't think it's a strip show they want."

Aris curled his toes into the earth. Even though he was exhausted, he cleared the following explosion with a much wider margin than before. "The vibrations," he told Daichi, picking himself up. "They're more noticeable without your sandals."

His feet hurt from scraping against the rocks, but the extra milliseconds of warning were worth it. Daichi's eyes widened, and then he threw his shoes off like they were poisoned.

Aris looked at the terrain, and frowned when he noticed little burnt bits of... Paper, fluttering to the ground.

_Right. Explosive tags. He's moving them underground with an Earth jutsu, and detonating them where he wants to. But you can predict when it's setting off by the vibrations. And a jutsu like this would be quite chakra-intensive. And I doubt he can actually move them faster than Daichi and I can run. More likely there are just a lot of them buried around, and he just moves the closest. He surely can't keep track of all of them at once._

_How many have we dodged? Twenty? He can't have an unlimited supply of tags either._

Indeed, it seemed the bastard was serious now. He'd stopped grinning and was setting them off closer and closer, but they were learning how to predict them more accurately each time.

_Letting us adapt was a mistake,_ Aris thought, triumphant despite the trembling of his muscles. _You should have taken us seriously from the beginning. _

"Hey, Ram, stop playing around," his partner said.

The one crouched on the ground nodded, and then looked at the civilians, who were still huddled by the wall.

_Shit_. Aris flew towards them and knocked them aside just in time. The shockwave from the explosion hit him in the middle of the back and sent him tumbling.

He got back to his feet, made a handseal and pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun, shooting a volley of small fire bullets in Ram's direction. His partner quickly made his own handseal and spat out water bullets that intercepted them in mid air, causing a tiny explosion that fizzed out.

_I need a plan. Fast. _

"Daichi, we have to get close."

"But he'll explode us!"

"We can do it. We just have to be faster." He made a sign behind his back, waited a second, and took off running.

He'd barely taken two steps before he had to lunge forwards to dodge the first explosion. _Land, pivot, run left. Stop! He's predicting your trajectory instead of trying to catch up to you. Get behind that rock, make a clone and send it ahead. Okay, go go go! _

_Finally. _Kunai clanged, as Ram's partner was forced to step in to intercept him. Aris didn't bother continuing with taijutsu; he immediately substituted with a piece of rock back where the siblings were standing. The ninja turned to look at him. "Well. All that effort crossing the terrain just to run straight back. Can't handle a little taijutsu?"

Daichi substituted with the rock Aris had left behind and impaled a kunai through his neck.

Blood gurgled out of his mouth. He toppled forwards.

"Little shit," Ram swore in the deathly silence that followed.

He rushed Daichi, who managed a swing but he ducked under it, his palm snuck past his guarding arm and stuck something white on his chest, before quickly retreating out of range.

"Bye-bye."

BOOM!

* * *

_Losing an arm's not a big deal,_ Aris tried to convince himself. _It could be worse. You could not have made it in time, and Daichi would be dead._

Though substituting next to his friend and tearing the explosive tag away from his chest with his bare hand hadn't been the smartest thing to do either. But it had been the only thing he could think of, since Daichi had been too slow to react.

_Ah, shit. Hurts like hell. I wish Aoi had taught me that numbing thing._

He was too tired to keep standing, so he fell to his knees. "Aris!" Daichi cried. The civilian girl let out a strangled sob.

"Not. Over," he ground out, forcibly shoving away the weakness. He used his only remaining arm to push himself back up, more out of sheer determination than anything else. It took a huge effort to just focus, his muscles were failing him and his vision swarmed with grey spots. "Listen. He must be nearly out of chakra, he can't use that jutsu anymore. We can take him, but you gotta stay calm."

Daichi was frozen. "But Aris... Your... arm..."

_Thanks for pointing it out. _Aris knew that if he looked, or even let himself think about what had just happened - he'd lost his arm Oh God HE WAS A CRIPPLE-

He breathed in and kept his green eyes pinned on Ram, ignoring the nausea that climbed up his throat caused by not being able to see his arm in his periphery. "He has more explosive tags, so be careful."

Daichi swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away from his friend's bloody shoulder.

"Focus!" Aris ordered sharply.

"R-right," Daichi managed, stared for a bit longer, and then moved to engage.

Aris wished he could assist in some way, but his legs felt too sluggish to move and the loss of a limb and all its chakra pathways threw his chakra off-balance - not that he had much left anyway. He probably wouldn't be much help, he decided, and almost burst out into hysterical laughter. Daichi seemed to be doing alright, though, he was holding his own. When he spotted a graceful blur with long brown hair joining in the fight, Aris finally let himself fall and lose consciousness.

He blinked awake to a clean, sterile white ceiling. His right arm itched and tingled. He pushed down his sheets and looked.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His chest was covered in bandages and there _was_ _no_ _arm_. But he could feel it itching as if it were still there. He could even move his fingers. His _imaginary_ fingers.

"How do you feel?" Shikaku sat next to Aris's bed, eyes dark and sunken as if he hadn't slept in days. There was another man with him, tall, with long, blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and pale eyes.

Aris didn't answer immediately. He lifted his non-existent limb, and the itching got worse until it felt like his whole arm was on fire. "The mission? What about the others? Are we back in Konoha?"

"Yes," Shikaku answered. "Everyone else is fine."

Aris moved his arm this way and that. A tear rolled down his cheek and, before he knew it, he was sobbing into his sensei's jacket.

Daichi, who'd been slinking in a corner of the room, quietly left.


	25. Lucky

_A.N: Some people asked about Aoi's fight, so here it is. It was edited out last chapter for the sake of flow, but since I'm going back in time to explain things anyway I might as well include it._

_Mei Terumi, when she first appeared (well into part II of the manga, about three or four years from this point in the story) had only recently been made Mizukage. So here I'm assuming she isn't it yet, and therefore Mist is still a mess and the Bloodline Purges haven't stopped. I may be wrong, but roll with it for me._

_Thank you for the reviews :) I appreciate each of them._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Five

_[**Lucky**: 1. Apparently being successful due to chance rather than one's own efforts. 2. Occurring by chance; fortuitious.]_

* * *

Aoi had disposed of the Mist kunoichi with relative ease. It was only a matter of avoiding all her long-range ninjutsu and getting close; she hadn't been as proficient with taijutsu as the first man Aoi had killed.

Pink was another matter entirely. Neji was exhausted, and there was blood coming out of a deep gash on his cheek. All three ninja crouched low in fighting stance, waiting for the first move.

Aoi closed the distance separating them with a high kick. Pink blocked it with his forearm, grabbed her leg and threw it up, attempting to flip her over. Aoi placed both hands on the ground and kicked her second leg up, pushing him into Neji's open-handed strike combo on his other side. Pink swat most of them aside, simultaneously jumping over Aoi's legs that had come back around to sweep his ankles. Aoi sprung upright and aimed a three-fingered stab at his throat, but he bent backwards to dodge it, twisting around to evade Neji's finishing kick at the same time. He then rolled away and disappeared into the mist, fresh as a rose, while the two Genin were panting.

"My village isn't going to be happy about Konoha interfering in their affairs," he mused, his voice echoing from all sides, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

The Genin immediately moved into a stance back to back. "Where is he?" Aoi hissed.

"In front of you," Neji whispered. "I blocked his right subclavian tenketsu, that side is weak. But he's kneading chakra on his left side, watch out."

"Not that I mind," Pink's disembodied voice continued, "but I do mind about my friend." The mist surrounding them started spinning, forming a vortex that converged a few meters in front of Aoi and became liquid water that covered Pink's arms like gloves. "Playtime's over, kiddos. Sorry." He made a sweeping motion and twin whips of water extended out, covering the distance separating them in a fraction of a second. Aoi ducked under while Neji flipped over them. The water whips scraped against the rock behind them, carving two thick lines across it, before shortening back to Pink's arms.

_Wow. That's pretty cool._ She'd seen the technique once, in the Konoha training grounds, except Ebisu hadn't been able to put a dent on a wooden post, much less a rock.

Then they had to jump away as he spun them over his head once and extended them again.

For Aoi, whose long-ranged jutsu was similar in form, it was plain that Pink's right whip was weaker, the screwed up tenketsu making it harder for him to manipulate it. Neji exploited that weakness, hitting it with Gentle Fist strikes to block it and doing his best to evade the other. But the guy was very good. The way he moved was elegant and powerful, varying the whips' length, thickness and direction with sweeping motions of his arms, and Aoi couldn't help feeling some professional admiration. Little by little, he pushed Neji towards the earth wall, aiming to corner him where he wouldn't be able to dodge.

It gave Aoi an idea. She rummaged in the stolen pouch. _Come on, tell me you have some at least. Yes! _She quickly tied the wire around two kunai, spun them, gauging force and distance, before letting them fly towards the wall. They impaled neatly some meters above the two fighters.

She made the three handseals, pouring all her remaining chakra into the technique. Blue lightning sped along the wire and impacted on the wall with a sound like a thunderclap.

In the elemental nature wheel, lightning shattered earth. And that was exactly what it did now: shatter. Cracks grew out from the kunai like a spiderweb, spreading all along the wall's surface. Aoi twisted her grip on the wire and pulled.

A huge chunk of rock crumbled and fell on the two shapes below, making the ground shake and lifting up a cloud of dust.

When the avalanche was over and the air cleared, Neji stood in a small circle free of rubble. He was doubled over and panting, drops of sweat tracing lines over the dirt on his face. "Are you insane?" he snapped, pupil-less eyes narrowed in her direction. "You could have killed me!"

Aoi shrugged as she scanned the fallen rocks for their opponent. "You had the Byakugan to see it coming and Revolving Heaven to block it. I thought you'd be fine."

Neji glared, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a woman's strangled sob and a cry of "Aris!"

They both snapped their heads to the other side of the wall, now made visible thanks to Aoi's stunt. "Finish up here," Neji spat, before crossing over the rubble towards the noise.

Aoi finally found what she was looking for: the upper half of a torso under a big rock. She approached and knelt down, placing a hand on Pink's throat. He chuckled, the blood oozing out of his mouth dampening his mask.

"The lower half of your body is crushed," she announced softly. "You wouldn't make it anyway."

There was a moment of stillness while she stared into the eyes of the man she was going to kill. Doing it in cold blood wasn't the same. He'd just been fulfilling his duty like any other ninja. It wasn't his fault his target had been civilians.

He grinned crookedly. "Wimping out at the last moment?"

She set her mouth in a grim line and sliced his neck.

"Aoi, where the fuck are you? Aris got his arm blown off!"

* * *

Tenten and Lee looked back where the other fights had been going on. "Looks like it's over," she observed. They glanced at the two enemy ninja. Neither side had sustained significant injuries, for now, and Tenten didn't think there was need for more bloodshed. "I suggest you take your comrades and leave."

* * *

Shikaku surveyed the landscape, trying to discern how the battle had gone. The air was still abuzz with chakra, so it couldn't have ended too long ago, but there were no corpses. He didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing.

Later, he'd be saddened that his Genin had experienced a battlefield so young. At the time he was more concerned as to whether they were alive.

Gai had already taken off towards where the faint trail of chakra got lost among the rocks. They found the camp an hour later, off to the side of the road, hidden by rocky formations. Shikaku was so distraught he only remembered to avoid their perimeter traps at the last second. Gai barreled straight through and by the time the Nara reached them he was already standing gravely next to Aoi, who was crouched by a blonde figure lying on the ground.

Shikaku's heart sank. "Report."

* * *

The mine was a huge square pit dug into the earth, like an inverted pyramid. There were wagons full of black and grey rocks everywhere, and people covered in grime holding shovels. The air was dusty and smelled of smoke. There were white tents set up on the edges of the pit, forming a circle around it like sentinels.

Inside one of the smaller tents Lee rummaged through his clothes and produced a scroll. Shikaku took it, examined it, nodded to himself and handed it to the millionaire sitting opposite them.

* * *

Mitsuko twirled her hair nervously. She'd always disliked ninja, but this man in front of her unnerved her even more. His neutral expression, the calculating glint in his eye and the two scars on the side of his face made her uneasy. She tried to hide it, though. She didn't want to seem scared.

"If you're looking for a safe place to stay, you could come back to Konoha with us," Shikaku proposed.

Mitsuko wasn't stupid. "You jus' want our bloodline."

The man's eyes softened, somewhat. "It's a very useful gift you have," he admitted. "But Konoha will never force you to use it. You could continue your life as a civilian if you so chose. No one will demand or expect anything from you, and you'll be protected from the people who want to kill you."

He sounded sincere. "And you don't want nothing in exchange?" she questioned, dubious.

"We will benefit eventually," Shikaku answered honestly. "Even if you don't become ninja for Konoha yourselves, some of your descendants probably will. If anything, you being in our village means you're not working for the other nations against us." He looked at her seriously. "And if you leave and are attacked again, my students' efforts will have been for nothing."

Mitsuko lowered her gaze. These people had protected her and Ichi with their lives, even though they had nothing to do with them, and she didn't think they'd lie now - they could have just taken them by force if they'd wanted to, but instead they were actually offering them a choice. Offering a safe haven. It would be extremely ungrateful, not to mention stupid, for her to reject this opportunity.

Maybe, she thought, remembering the blonde boy that had sacrificed his arm to save her life, ninja weren't so bad. Maybe she could trust them, just this once.

* * *

Aoi had a stroke of inspiration just as they left Haran and couldn't stop thinking about her idea for the whole duration of the journey.

Had anyone ever tried to _quantify_ chakra?

She realized that she had actually already done it. She'd measured chakra output as voltage in the Zap no Jutsu experiment. But that had been chakra that was transformed into electricity, equivalent to measuring the volume of water when chakra was transformed into water. Not a measure of chakra itself in its native form.

What was its form? Was it matter, particles, or just energy, or did it behave as both, like light? _Ugh, confusing._ The theory of relativity and quantum physics weren't subjects she knew much about, and now she'd never have the chance to study them. _K__nowing chakra, it will disregard those rules as well anyway._

Every ninja could "tell" when they were running low on chakra, and the Hyuga could actually observe it. But she hadn't read about any fixed unit of chakra - all books said "about twice the chakra required for a standard clone" or "equal to the chakra needed to perform this or that basic jutsu." That was tragically inaccurate. Naruto's chakra requirement, at the beginning at least, was about five times as large as anyone else's due to his poor chakra control.

There was no absolute unit.

Wow. That was pretty mind-blowing. Ninja had been using chakra for what, centuries? Millenia? And no one had tried to _measure_ it?

What unit could she use? Maybe a newton - the amount of force needed to give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one meter per second. Or a calorie - the amount of energy needed to... something... To raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree celsius.

_I think I'll make up my own unit,_ she decided. _I'll name it Chris._

_One chris: the amount of raw chakra produced by... I need to choose an organism... in one minute._

_My god, this is gonna be revolutionary. I could actually measure chakra, calculate the exact requirement of every jutsu in existence and the efficiency of every ninja in executing them._

A part of her mind was already making a list of materials.

_Chakra-conductive metal. Hinata. Yin and Yang stones..._

After nearly a week of travel (they were slowed down by an unconscious and arm-less Aris and the civilians) they reached the gates of Konoha. Aoi took a moment to admire the colorful buildings, the enormous trees and the Hokage monument in the distance. Despite having experienced its darker, grimmer side, Konoha was still the closest thing she had to a home.

Shikaku, who was carrying Aris on his back, turned towards them. "I'm taking Aris to hospital. Mitsuko and Ichi, come with me. The rest of you are dismissed until it's time to report to the Hokage."

"Great!" Gai exclaimed. "Shall we do some training until then?"

In the background, Neji sighed and Tenten groaned.

"Of course, Sensei!" A tsunami wouldn't succeed in dampening Lee's enthusiasm - a petty mission or a weeks of travel on the road didn't even moisten it. "Aoi-san, would you like to join us?"

"She has other commitments," an icy voice interrupted.

The entire party fell silent and, as one, faced the new arrivals. The man who'd spoken had long brown hair and the pale eyes and proud demeanor of the Hyuga. He looked to be in his thirties, faint creases visible on the sides of his nose. The three women standing behind him were almost identical, both in appearance and posture. All of them had their foreheads covered - Branch house members, most likely. And they didn't seem friendly, not that Hyuga had a wide repertoire of friendly expressions. Right now it was something between indifference, disapproval and irritation. Aoi noticed Neji stiffening out of the corner of her eye.

"We have orders to escort you to the Hyuga compound," the man continued in the same clipped tone. "Immediately."

Aoi stared him down. She did not like where this situation was going. At all. She wasn't the only one.

"Whose orders, Haruko-san?" Shikaku questioned, purposefully calling him by name.

The man didn't look away from Aoi but acknowledged him with a small nod. "Shikaku-sama. This is a matter between Aoi Momoru and the Hyuga clan. Please, do not interfere."

Shikaku shifted Aris's weight on his back and looked at the hospital, then back at Aoi. Clans had a certain jurisdiction in Konoha, a separate set of laws and rules stemming from their right not to share their clan techniques when the village was first founded. No Konoha ninja and certainly not the head of another clan (except for the Hokage) could involve themselves when the sacred phrase 'clan matters' was invoked.

He seemed curious, though, and maybe slightly concerned. "She is due to report to the Hokage in four hours." It sounded like a warning.

Haruko didn't reply. With a last look over his shoulder, Shikaku left for the hospital, and one by one the group dispersed. Daichi, after some trepidation, followed in the same direction as his sensei. Neji remained where he was, and when the Hyuga moved to encircle Aoi he took a spot in the formation to her left.

"What is this about," she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, keeping his gaze forwards.

The Hyuga compound was almost a village of its own in the outskirts of Konoha. Separated from the surrounding neighborhoods by a circular wall, like the Uchiha, but unlike the Uchiha it was by their own choice. Inside the compound there was a second wall that segregated the inner ring, where the Main house resided, from the outer ring, where the Branch houses lived. Even in the outer ring the buildings were elegant and well-cared for; and the gardens were paved with stone paths and decorated with fountains and Sakura trees. The place was surreally peaceful.

They crossed the second wall and headed straight to the house sitting at the very center of the compound like an undefeated king watching over its land. Though it was sort of anticlimactic when the whole party had to stop and take their shoes off before entering it.

There really wasn't much Aoi could do but follow. She couldn't exactly flee, though she was having trouble suppressing the urge. The feeling of apprehension grew as they went deeper inside the house to finally stop outside a paneled door decorated with pictures of pink petals.

"We've brought Aoi Momoru," the man at the front of their procession announced.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

Haruko slid the panel aside and walked into the room.

Aoi didn't know what she'd been expecting, but coming face to face with Hiashi Hyuga wasn't it. He sat behind a desk on the far side of the room, staring at her through pale, hard eyes, the picture of haughty nobility. Aoi glanced down at the papers neatly arranged on the desk and blanched. She recognized them. They were the copies of the Hyuga documents that Hinata had made for her.

The Branch house members moved to take positions around the room, two of the women staying by the door as if to make sure she didn't escape.

"You must have been proud of breaching our clan's security and acquiring these copies." Hiashi spoke clearly and succinctly, irritation simmering under the surface of his calm tone. "Do you know what the punishment is for such an offense?"

Her mind was whirring. How had they found them? When?

"Because you have acted specifically against one of the clans of Konoha, and not Konoha itself, the punishment, Momoru, is decided by the clan. Fortunately for you, these documents aren't very dangerous or revealing," he continued. "If they'd been, I wouldn't hesitate in executing you myself."

The atmosphere of the room shifted as the Branch house members stared at her incredulously. Obviously they hadn't known why she'd been summoned, but now they tensed, preparing for a fight. Neji's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion and anger.

A wave of nausea climbed up her throat when she thought of all the research on the Byakugan she had in her appartment. If they'd found _that_, she didn't think she'd be breathing now.

"What were you hoping to achieve with these copies? Have you sold them to another nation? Answer truthfully. Your life depends on it," Hiashi announced darkly.

"What proof do you have that they're mine?" Her throat was dry and her voice trembled a little, but she didn't look away.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Ah, yes. Not only do you steal from our archives, but you do it by _coercing_ one of the younger members into acting against the clan," he enunciated slowly. "Thank you for reminding me. Don't worry, your friend will be disciplined."

So it was Hinata's fault. Had she confessed to her father? Aoi didn't think even Hinata could be so stupid. Though how they'd found out was kinda irrelevant now, it didn't help her get out of the situation. But what could she say? She couldn't lie; one of the lessons they'd been taught in Root was that Hyuga were very perceptive. Anything but the truth would make them even more suspicious.

Aoi took a deep breath, preparing herself to speak, but three soft knocks at the door interrupted her. "Father?"

Hiashi tensed. "What are you doing here, Hinata?"

"I- I just," Hinata stuttered, sliding the door open and standing awkwardly outside the room, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously, as if she couldn't quite work up the courage to step in without permission, "I just wanted t-t-to say something."

Aoi didn't even look at her.

If it was possible Hiashi's gaze hardened; and he stared at Hinata with more displeasure and disgust than he had Aoi. "You have been even more stupid in this matter than I thought you capable of. What you have done was extremely dangerous and brings shame to the clan. Get out of my sight. Now." His eyes moved to Aoi. "As for you, I'll hand you over to Interrogation before demanding your expulsion from Konoha's ninja ranks. Until then we will retain you under custody inside the compound."

Aoi paled. Interrogation? A Yamanaka inside her brain would be a total disaster!

Hinata gasped in dismay. "F-father!" It was very soft, but easily heard in the silence of the room.

"Get out, Hinata. I don't want to hear anything from you."

Despite herself, Aoi started panicking. The window to escape was getting increasingly smaller. Even if she explained about her research, it wouldn't excuse the fact that she had done something illegal.

After a moment of defeated fumbling, Hinata squared her shoulders and took a step inside the room. "Father, I received my hitai-ate yesterday," she announced, drawing everyone's attention. "I-I'm a ninja." She looked like she would rather be anywhere but inside that room, and yet wouldn't let herself back out. "I am responsible for my own actions. Whatever p-p-p-punishment you give Aoi-chan must be given t-to me as we-we-well." She took a few more steps to stand next to Aoi, tightening her fists at her sides in an effort to stop herself from fiddling.

Hiashi looked like he hadn't thought of that. To be honest Aoi had forgotten about the girl's graduation too, and the fact that yes, Hinata was an adult in the eyes of the law now.

"I-in reality, I was th-the one who asked for Aoi's assistance," Hinata bravely ploughed on. "It was my idea t-t-to research chakra natures. She didn't want to, but I forced her. She's also helped me improve my taijutsu," she concluded with slightly more conviction. "I won't let you hurt her. She's been helping me for years."

It seemed like her father didn't believe her. Aoi was quite incredulous too. "Your taijutsu is mediocre," he sentenced.

Hinata lifted her chin defiantly. "In my class o-only Uchiha Sasuke has graduated with a higher taijutsu score th-than me," she revealed, "We're always p-paired for sparring and I win against him sometimes."

Even Aoi was impressed. Partly by Hinata's improvement, and partly by the way she'd phrased her argument: putting a lie and something that seemed like a lie together, and when the second was proven true, the first seemed true as well. Had she done it consciously? Hinata was a jewel in the rough.

"I am responsible," she finished. "Not Aoi-chan. I-I won't let you punish her on my account."

Aoi would be lying if she said she wasn't astounded. Or tremendously relieved. Once she got over the shock she stared back at Hiashi, Hinata taking a slightly defensive posture as if ready to jump in between her father and her friend. "Our research isn't related to the Hyuga clan in particular but to all ninja," Aoi decided to keep pushing, now that the clan head was listening. "We only thought using your family trees would be a good idea because they're so detailed." A bit of ego-stroking wouldn't hurt either.

Hiashi considered for a second before giving in to the curiosity slowly permeating his irritation. "And what research is that?"

Two exhausting hours later Aoi walked out of the compound with her head still firmly attached to her shoulders, unable to believe her luck. She had a meeting scheduled with Hiashi Hyuga the following morning. He'd been extremely interested and pleased to find out the Byakugan could predict chakra natures, and was interested in hearing about her other theories and projects.

* * *

"That was really brave, Hinata. You saved me." The words were almost mandatory, after what the girl had accomplished. Aoi truly had not expected anyone to put themselves in the line of fire for her like that; throughout her life she'd been used and betrayed, not unselfishly _helped_. But really, she shouldn't have been surprised. She'd known Hinata was kind and brave in her own way. It made her feel guilty, because her initial motive for approaching the Hyuga heir had been selfish, and over the years she had consistently used the friendship for her own means.

_I would have done the same thing, had our roles been reversed, _she acknowledged_. _But because she genuinely cared for Hinata, or because Hinata was too invaluable to lose as an ally?

_I suppose, after this, there's really no question. I genuinely want Hinata to succeed. For herself, not for me. She deserves some recognition._

Aoi looked up at the sky and sighed.

They sat on their bench by the marketplace, eating ice cream and watching the sunset like before Aoi graduated. Hinata was blushing and fiddling with the zipper of her coat. "Well, I knew they wouldn't really p-p-punish me. I'm st-till the clan head's daughter and it would look very bad. And I-I didn't want you to..." she trailed off.

Aoi nodded distractedly. "Still, impressive. And this way, you have also gained your father's attention, and I a possible sponsor." She still couldn't get over that, but she recognized them when she saw them. "We were very lucky this time."


	26. Variable

_A.N: Er, life gets in the way. *Flees*_

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Six

_[**variable**: Not consistent or having a fixed pattern; liable to change.]_

* * *

It was the first time in almost a month Aris woke up in his own bed, not in a forest or the hospital. He'd missed the familiarity of his home; the sound of their upstairs neighbor moving around in the kitchen, the washing machines being turned on in the laundry room of the floor below and the ever-present snores from Daichi's bed against the opposite wall from his.

Aris got dressed quickly and silently, though not as quickly and silently as he usually did. He slid his feet into his sandals and tightened the straps with one hand. He tied his belt around his waist, fumbling with the buckle for a minute, and tugged on his kunai pouch to make sure it was secure. He then went to tie the hitai-ate around his forehead, but after a dozen unsuccessful attempts he tore it off and threw it at the wall with a growl. "Dammit!"

Daichi startled awake. "Uh..." He took in the sight of his friend breathing hard and glaring at the headband on the floor. "I... um, I could help," he offered with some trepidation. "If you want."

Aris closed his eyes and took a deeper breath. "It's fine." He walked over and picked it up, staring at it for a second. He could just slip it into his pocket. But that would be like giving up. He started tying it around his head again, this time at the height of his nose, using his teeth to pull on one end of the knot. When it was tight he pushed it above his eyes and turned it so the knot was at the back. It left some of his hair pointing in strange directions. "No problem."

Daichi only stared.

Aris went to the little kitchen in one corner of the flat and got himself a glass of water. He downed it in one gulp and headed to the door, where he slipped on a long burgundy coat before leaving the flat.

For the first few days he could be seen doing nothing but training obsessively, from dawn to dusk.

* * *

Shikaku had tried to talk to him. He'd tried to get Inoichi to talk to him. The Yamanaka clan head insisted that they had to give him some space to let him get used to his new condition before confronting him about it, and Shikaku had always trusted Inoichi, but it was hard to watch his student gradually realize that his taijutsu was useless, that his chakra control was skewed and worst of all, that he wouldn't be able to use ninjutsu, and not being there to help him through it.

Aris had always been Shikaku's favorite by far. If one compared him to geniuses like Neji or Aoi he didn't have all that much talent, but Aris was hard-working, a quick learner, and possessed an understanding of what it meant to be a shinobi that he'd yet to see in anyone his age. That such promise was butchered so abruptly and definitely was horrible. Especially because it had been so _obvious_ that Aris would have become an exemplary ninja someday.

He also knew the guilt he felt wasn't really helping anyone but, it was _his_ student. On his watch. If he'd been a bit faster in disposing of the Kumo nin, he could have gotten there in time.

Inoichi put a hand on his shoulder. "He was able to protect his team thanks to the things you taught him. Don't blame yourself."

Shikaku sighed.

Today, Daichi had tagged along to Aris's training for the first time. He stood awkwardly off to the side, watching his friend pound the shit out of the wooden post in the middle of the training field, equally unaware of the two Jounin watching. After a vicious kick that cracked the wood, Aris whirled around. "Let's spar," he requested.

Daichi looked down. "Aris, I don't think-"

"Shut up." He bent his knees in a fighting stance.

Daichi hesitated before mimicking him, the apprehension clear in his eyes. When Aris moved to attack, all Daichi did was block and dodge, never attempting to hit back. Aris saw this, swore, and twisted to smash his nose with a spinning elbow. "I said fight me!"

Daichi stumbled back, his eyes watering from the pain. "No," he stated, straightening and wiping the blood with his sleeve.

Aris scowled. "You'll have to." He closed in with a punch, which Daichi didn't even dodge this time, and proceeded to methodically beat his best friend to a pulp.

Inoichi nudged Shikaku. "I think it's time to intervene."

Shikaku shook his head. "This is something between them. We should let them get it out of their systems. Watch."

"Stop. Treating. Me. Like. A. Cripple!" Aris shouted in time with every hit. "I can still kick your ass!"

Daichi stumbled and fell to one knee but said nothing.

Aris kicked him on the side. "Don't feel guilty either! It was my choice to fight and my choice to save you! I don't regret any of it!"

Inoichi exhaled quietly. "Good," he said under his breath.

"You shouldn't have," Daichi finally croaked. "I should have been fast enough to get rid of that tag. Or I should have died, and you'd still have your arm."

Aris grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up level to his face. Since he was the taller of the two, it meant Daichi's feet were dangling in the air. "Don't be an idiot."

"I'm the weakest in our team. I'm dispensable, not like you or Aoi. It would have made more sense for you to let me die."

Aris looked like he wanted to slap him. As he lacked the extra limb to be able to do that, he head butted him instead. His green eyes were stormy. "It's not about you, Daichi! If it had been anyone else, I would have done it too!" He breathed in, trying to calm down. "Even if I had to spend the rest of my life filing away paperwork, and never see a kunai again. Even if I couldn't travel. Even if all the training I've done over the years is reduced to nothing," he tightened his fist on Daichi's shirt, never breaking eye contact, "I don't regret it. If the same situation arose, I'd gladly lose my other arm."

"Remarkable," Inoichi commented in the ensuing silence. "Quite a boy you have there, Shikaku." He stared intently at the scene for another second. "You won't have to worry about Aris. He's been testing his limitations, and he'll accept them. He'll adapt and move on to find some adequate objective. The other one, though. Keep an eye on him. He's bound to do something stupid."

Shikaku nodded. He stopped suppressing his chakra and stepped into the clearing, hands in his pockets. Startled, Aris dropped Daichi. Both turned to look at him, suspicious. "Let's reassess your chakra control, hm? You too, Daichi. Don't try to sneak out of this one."

He was looking forward to his team working together again.

* * *

Twilight settled on Konoha bright and intense, casting long shadows over the faces carved into the mountain. A lone figure stood there atop the cliffs, deep in thought, observing the village below as it was plunged in a contrast of light and darkness.

His sensei had told him that he probably wouldn't make Chunin. He had the mindset, and he had the tactical skill, but without even the three basic Academy ninjutsu, no genjutsu and a messed-up taijutsu he simply lacked the combat ability. Even Rock Lee had it easier than he did, at this point.

Aris couldn't believe that he'd be stuck at Genin all his life because of a stupid arm.

Before the Haran mission, he'd been working on reducing the number of seals he had to use for his fire jutsu - but performing a technique without seals at all was a Jounin-level skill that required years of practice or staggering natural talent which he lacked, and could only be applied to low-rank jutsu anyway. Even if he learned how to do it, he'd never be able to perform anything above a C-rank. Genjutsu was a maybe, he barely knew enough of the field to recognize and dispel them, he wasn't sure how hand seals played into it. As for taijutsu... He could adjust the Academy standard style he used, but it would take work and it'd never be as good as it could have been.

It was funny, really. Before, Aris had hoped that with enough patience, dedication and a bit of luck he could make Jounin. Now even Chunin was a long shot.

Shikaku had also said that if anyone could pull it off, it was him.

A light breeze ruffled his coat and lifted it almost like a cape. The remaining sliver of red sun sank down under the horizon as the first stars shyly twinkled into existence.

Chunin would be good enough. A lot of them became couriers and messengers, and that was fine with him. Aris wanted to visit new places and know the world. It was -

"Hey."

He jumped and turned, surprised to see Aoi there, her hand raised in greeting. _Yes, nicely done Aris, you were so distracted you couldn't even sense your own teammate. It'll take a hundred years for you to get promoted at this rate.  
_

Though Aoi had always been stealthy, now that he thought about it. She could meld into the background and avoid attention. It had become more evident after that mysterious year of absence from the Academy.

"Hi," he replied. Aoi joined him at the edge of the cliff and they watched the sky. "Why are you here?" He didn't know the top of the Hokage mountain was a spot she liked to frequent.

"It's a good place to think." Her yellow eyes absently trailed over the village below, watching the people. "How's your arm? More phantom pains?"

Aris rolled his shoulder. "No," he lied.

There was a long silence. Aris had already dived back into his thoughts and almost forgotten she was there when she spoke again. "I've read a book about someone who could do one-handed seals."

His eyebrows shot up. "One handed?"

"Yeah."

"How does that work? Using only half of the seal?" This was new! He'd never heard anything like it before.

She shrugged. "Dunno. You'd have to equalize the pathways on the left and right side of your body, or something. Also, he's the only person who could do it, it might have been part of a bloodline limit," she warned.

"It's worth a try," Aris decided, mentally adding that to his training schedule for tomorrow. Even if it was only one person, if there was the slightest chance that one-handed seals were possible... "Could I borrow the book?"

"I lost it."

He sighed. "Okay. What was it called?"

"I don't remember," she deadpanned.

Aris stared at his teammate incredulously. "Helpful." Was it even true? He narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what she was thinking, but her face remained impassible and staring straight ahead. On the flipside, she had no reason to lie.

"Did Shikaku tell you about prosthetics?" she inquired, changing the subject.

Aris grimaced. "Yeah. He said the puppeteers of Suna are experts at that. We might visit them soon." Not for the Chunin exams, those had already finished and Aris wouldn't have been able to compete anyway, but Suna was an ally and their borders were open at anytime. He didn't know how to feel about the idea of a prosthetic. On the one hand he'd read that it could not only be a decent substitute for a real arm, but could be used as a weapon as well, and on the other hand, _heh_, he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Suna, huh." For the first time in the conversation she turned her yellow eyes on him, which glowed strangely in the half-light of the twilight, and gestured to his arm. "I know you lied about phantom pains."

Aris nodded wordlessly, knowing that it was at least partially an excuse; what she really wanted was another look at his chakra pathways. According to her, losing a limb at thirteen had one advantage: the pathways were still young enough to undergo some remodeling and adapt to the missing limb. Aris didn't feel any different, apart from some discomfort and strange pains every so often, but she insisted on monitoring the process anyway, and sometimes she did succeed in mitigating the pain.

He turned so she could place one hand on his shoulder and the other on his back and did his best to ignore the by now familiar chakra entering his body. By the time they were finished, the moon shone brightly in the sky and the village below was silent.

* * *

Aoi couldn't help but be impressed every time she set foot in the Hyuga compound. The gardens were vibrant and clean, and overall the place had a dream-like quality to it, making it hard to believe that she was actually still inside a ninja village. The first few times she'd been too tense and nervous to properly appreciate the gardens but now she let herself bask in the relaxing atmosphere. The Hyuga might have been arrogant assholes but they had a good sense of aesthetics.

Like in her previous visits members of the Branch house escorted her to the home of the clan head in the center of the compound. Hiashi was waiting for her in one of the larger, more luminous rooms, kneeling at a small table where two delicate porcelain tea mugs were set up. There was also a vase with flowers which changed every meeting and probably meant something important. She took her place opposite him, feeling out of place like always. He tended to have that effect on people, with his polished appearance and disdainful glares.

Like in previous meetings the Branch house members took their spots around the room. Aoi didn't know if it was just tradition or an intimidation tactic, but they were there constantly, reminding her that, while she had an agreement with Hiashi now, things could turn sour if she got on the Hyuga's bad side.

Neji approached with a teapot and served them tea. It had been shocking at first, to have the usually proud, arrogant Neji serving her tea and waiting on her. A reminder of exactly what his position in the clan was despite his talent: just a servant of the main family. He had made clear via glares and Hyugaeese body language that if she ever brought it up outside the compound he was going to kill her. Aoi had no intention to meddle in his business.

Hiashi waited until he'd returned to his corner to speak. "I trust your project is going well?"

"Very well, Hiashi-sama."

"My daughter has informed me you have made an interesting discovery."

Aoi nodded cautiously. She was still hesitant about sharing her thoughts on the Byakugan. Hiashi reacted well enough to hearing results from regular chakra measuring experiments, and he knew Aoi was using Hinata's Byakugan to observe those, but she wasn't sure that was implicit permission to draw conclusions on the Byakugan itself.

He'd asked, though, so she couldn't not answer. "All ninja use chakra to a degree to augment their senses," she started. "Some achieve this voluntarily while it is a passive aspect in others. The Inuzuka, for example, have thicker pathways to their nose which translates into a particularly strong sense of smell."

Hiashi nodded impatiently. "Yes, and Hyuga have excellent eyesight even when the Byakugan isn't activated. Get to the point."

"Of course." She licked her lips. "There is a phenomenon called sensory gating which occurs in the thalamus. Basically, unimportant stimuli are stopped from reaching the brain so it is not overwhelmed by useless information. This is true even for civilians. As one sense develops, the others are slightly dimmed, so the brain can concentrate on the sense that matters."

She took a sip of her tea, letting him draw his own conclusions.

He did, and he didn't seem very pleased. "Are you suggesting that Hyuga, apart from sight, have inferior senses?"

"Not normally, no," Aoi corrected. "Your base eyesight is outstanding but not enough to cause a noticeable decrease in the other senses. When you use the Byakugan, however... Well, you can see through objects and adjust your focus so proficiently it allows you to _zoom in_, and your range extends to _kilometers _all around you. While over the generations your brain has adapted to cope with all that additional sensory input it still has to make some sacrifices."

The Branch house members shifted uncomfortably. Hiashi's mouth thinned but he didn't seem as angry as Aoi had feared, at least. "How did you discover this?"

She sighed. "Hinata can't tell what she's drinking when her Byakugan is activated because her sense of taste is completely neutralized, and her sense of smell is heavily suppressed. Her hearing and touch are perfectly fine, though."

"I see." Hiashi put his drink aside. "We have noticed, of course. As a clan we have been aware of that... inconvenience for generations. Until now, however, no outsider was made party to this knowledge." He stared intently at her.

Aoi nodded slowly. "You wouldn't disclose the weaknesses of your bloodline so easily."

Hiashi stared some more.

"Of course I won't either. I have no desire to make an enemy out of the Hyuga clan." Since Hiashi was still silent and exuding pressure, she added, "Honestly, at least in Hinata's case, not being able to taste isn't a significant drawback. But I've been thinking of ways to counter sensory gating anyway."

"Oh, really?"

"The hormone adrenalin, for example. I think it mitigates the effect. Which explains how in the height of battle your senses could still work, even with the Byakugan." Though Aoi would need to gather more data before proving or disproving any hypothesis. Was it always taste and smell which were affected? Did the level of suppression vary depending on how powerful the individual's Byakugan was? She looked at Neji out of the corner of her eye. How severe were the drawbacks he experienced?

But of course Hiashi wouldn't volunteer the information and Aoi wasn't so stupid as to ask. It was bad enough that she'd admitted her speculations out loud; with the precedent her father set, she really couldn't afford to show any more interest in the doujutsu.

Hiashi let the subject go after that. He asked her about the research, how long she thought it would take her to start obtaining results, was there anything else she needed the Hyuga's assistance for. They were always a bit tense, these meetings, since she was unused to having to be so polite and high-strung all the time, and she still wasn't quite sure what was in it for Hiashi. Admittedly, he was an intelligent man - he could see the value of what she was trying to achieve, and maybe wanted the Hyuga's name to appear somewhere when she essentially caused a scientific revolution. Or he had a personal interest. In any case she'd never expected a cold, conservative clan head like him to want in on her projects.

He hadn't even asked about publishing the research either. It seemed he had no desire for anyone else to get involved, which suited Aoi just fine.

"Actually, there is something, Hiashi-sama," she said. "While we are making rapid progress for now it's inevitable that it will slow down. My sensei has increased the amount of team practices I have to attend and Hinata has her own team duties too. I'll also need time to analyze the data we've obtained so far and think of how to tackle the next step."

"The chakra meter you talked about?" questioned Hiashi.

Aoi suppressed the urge to snort. How impatient could he be? "We're not quite there yet. No, I was thinking of testing how different materials respond to different amounts of chakra."

"I see," he agreed, contemplating. "I suppose these things usually take a long time?"

"They do, Hiashi-sama." Thankfully he was smart enough to recognize he had no experience with scientific research, and trusted her judgement in her domain. She could have found a worse sponsor than Hiashi Hyuga.

* * *

Weeks passed. Team Shikaku went on another C-Rank which only lasted for a couple of days. They trained. Aris kept trying to perform a Henge using only half-seals but was wholly unsuccessful. "I'm really close, I can tell! Just let me try again." Every time Shikaku stopped him before he depleted his chakra reserves.

There was perhaps one event worthy of note. It was rumored that a merchant had cancelled a recently-signed contract with Konoha because he'd found a client willing to pay more for his metals. Apparently, the Hokage was quite pissed.

Aoi often saw the new rookies running around the village doing D-Ranks. Team Seven was almost impossible to miss - they were the noisiest of the batch. She took off in the opposite direction whenever they approached, and thanks to the village's attitude towards Naruto her behavior didn't seem particularly strange. Sometimes, though, she couldn't help observing them from a distance.

They seemed so young. It was hard to believe that they'd be facing Zabuza in less than a month. Sakura was barely more than a little girl, Sasuke a brooding, self-absorbed adolescent who couldn't see past his own nose and Naruto kept _pranking_ people as if it were all a game, completely unaware of what was in store for him.

_It's started_, she thought, watching them wade through the dirty river, knee-deep in water, stopping every so often to scrunch their nose in disgust and pick up a piece of litter. The story had finally started, and everything that would happen from now on was literally written down. Naruto's fate was decided and with it, Konoha's fate, and the fate of the entire ninja world.

Except the things her existence had changed.

Kakashi, who was lounging on the grass nearby, lowered his book and waved in her direction, although Aoi had been doing her best to pass unnoticed. She hopped down the tree she'd been lurking in and headed back into town.

She meandered through the streets of the village without a particular destination in mind, but when she looked up she was staring at a familiar house painted in pastel tones with flowers on the windows. She blinked, and without making the conscious decision to do so jumped over the small fence and knocked on the door.

There was silence, then some cluttering was heard inside the house before the door opened. "Oh, good afternoon, Aoi." Hana's long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was holding a wet paintbrush in one hand. There was a smear of white paint on her cheek. "I was just-"

"What do you think of fate?"

Hana stared at her strangely. Aoi dug her hands in her pockets and slouched further. After an awkward silence the teacher waved her into the house with the hand that held the paintbrush. "Would you like to come in?"

* * *

"So, fate," Hana repeated. She'd put her paint aside and led Aoi into the small living-room, where they were currently having tea. "I didn't think you of all people would want to discuss fate. It's the kind of thing you'd deem a waste of time." If there was one thing Hana knew about Aoi, it was that she was extremely rational and believed in experimental evidence. She looked upon things like religion or destiny with contempt. That she was suddenly contemplating the existence of fate was very out of character.

Aoi shrugged uncomfortably. "What do you think of it?"

Hana shook her head, still puzzled, but answered anyway. "If by fate you mean that the future of people is decided the moment they are born, then I think it's absurd. That would mean that our actions are already determined and therefore not our responsibility, because we have no say in it." She smoothed her dress. "I believe people are in control of themselves and responsible for their own choices. Otherwise, life itself doesn't make sense."

Aoi nodded reluctantly, her eyes acquiring a faraway look. "Think of a system," she suddenly said.

The civilian frowned. "What?"

"Imagine a system. It can be something simple. A pendulum, swinging left and right. If it remains undisturbed, it will continue swinging indefinitely. Would you say that is its fate?"

Hana was sidetracked by the approach and didn't understand what she was getting at. "Let's pretend I do."

Aoi's eyes cut back to Hana's face, bright in their intensity. "Now imagine a stone, rolling down a mountain. The stone hits the pendulum and stops it swinging. It has, in a manner of speaking, disturbed its fate."

The civilian's frown deepened. "Okay."

"But if the stone was also inside the system," Aoi continued. "Then the fate of the system was for the stone to hit the pendulum and stop it swinging. Yes?"

Hana's face cleared. "Ah. You mean to keep expanding this system until it encompasses the universe."

Aoi smiled. "Right. The animal that disturbed the stone to cause it to start rolling was what set up the stone's fate to strike the pendulum, and by extension set up the pendulum's fate to stop swinging. And so on. The fate of an event is decided by other events further back in time, which are decided by other events. If you keep expanding, you arrive to the conclusion that the current state of the universe and everything in it was determined at the moment of its creation, and that the present has already dictated how the future will be."

Hana shifted uneasily, understanding where she was coming from but unwilling to give up. "Maybe there are limiting conditions imposed by premises outside our control," she relented. "But humans can still choose their future."

Aoi shook her head. "You don't understand. Humans and their choices are inside that system too." When the teacher still seemed skeptic, she sighed. "Fine. Just humor me and pretend fate does exist for a second. Imagine your life and everyone else's was actually written down in some superior plane, and everyone had that destiny to fulfill." She smiled wryly. "What would you think if someone, completely exterior to all this, a being who was outside this system and knew about the system's fate, made the conscious decision to step in and change it?"

Hana was speechless.

Aoi's eyes acquired that faraway look again, and her tone had a jaded edge to it, like she found what she was saying grimly amusing. "To me, it would seem like this person was evil. An utter abomination. Something that shouldn't exist."

The civilian still didn't understand what this was about. Aoi spoke like she believed what she was saying, like it was somehow possible, which was simply absurd.

She sighed. "No, you're wrong. This thing that you say is written down isn't fate. At the most, it's a possible future among many. This being thinks they know the future and the actions of people, but they don't."

"It's the future the universe would follow if no one interfered."

Hana picked up her cup and took a sip. "You can't know that."

Aoi scowled. "As I said, Hana. Humor me."

After a tense silence, Hana spoke. "If this being knows fate, it must know the evils that happen to people."

"Right," Aoi agreed.

"I would never forgive someone who knew evil would take place and just stood by and did nothing. That is cowardice."

If Hana had been a ninja, she would have noticed the way Aoi froze for a fraction of a second, the moment when her eyes widened and her breathing stopped. But, though Hana was good at reading people, she didn't have a ninja's perception, and so didn't register the minute changes before Aoi mastered her reaction again.

Instead Hana remained oblivious, continuing with her speech. "But ultimately, it is fate itself that must be destroyed. This being might be interfering in a system that it originally didn't belong in, but in doing so it is destroying this predetermined fate, and in my eyes that is a good thing. Because it's freeing the system."

The cup clinked with finality as she put it down, and she smiled, lifting an amused eyebrow. "Do you have any other strange scenarios to discuss?"

"No," Aoi assured and stood up without looking at her, her mind already someplace else. "Thank you. It was interesting," she added distractedly as she left the house.

She stopped in the middle of the street and looked up at the sky, which was cloudy. _Stop the suffering of people? __Why?_ She asked herself. _Why should I bother? I am an intruder, an alien. __It would be wrong for me to actively interfere. Like trying to play God._

Except that wasn't quite true, was it? She might have come from a different reality, but this was her home now. It wasn't like she had any choice in it. It wasn't like she could go back.

_You're alive now. Here. That's what matters._

She had knowledge of the future, a future in which she didn't exist. But that was the whole point: she did exist. That future she knew, it had already been altered. It was now merely a tool that she'd been using to survive, for her own benefit, too selfish to consider the good of others. It wasn't destiny.

_Hana is right. I've been acting like a cowar__d, always trying to keep myself safe. I know Neji and Shikaku are going to die, and I didn't even consider changing that because I'm too _scared_._

But it wasn't as easy as killing the people that needed killing, or saving those that were going to die. If she acted to prevent the death of the Third in the Chunin exams, Tsunade wouldn't return to Konoha. Sakura Haruno wouldn't find a teacher and realize her full potential. The crippling injuries Rock Lee had sustained in his fight in the preliminaries wouldn't be healed.

And on a larger scale: the Fourth Shinobi war might cause inordinate amounts of death and destruction, but, for the first time in recorded history, the five great Shinobi countries would stop fighting among themselves and form an alliance. For the first time it would be shown that ninja from all nations could set aside their differences and unite for a common purpose. It might be ironic, but the Fourth War could well be the start of a long period of peace. By preventing that, Aoi might be destroying the next stage of the Shinobi civilization.

_Fuck it. I never cared about that stuff anyway._

What was her goal, then? Would she use her knowledge to benefit Konoha? The thought made her smile. Konoha had betrayed her more times than she could count.

_Knowledge has a price, and it's responsibility._

Bah.

* * *

Aoi put everything on hold and holed herself in her apartment for the next two days.

She made lists, and charts, and timelines. She made tables and something comically similar to character sheets for all the characters she could remember from the manga, with their history and motivations. She effectively wrote out the entire story of Naruto, trying to include as many details as possible. She knew she was messing up the order of events in some cases but she tried to get all the important tipping points right. She wrote in English, partly because it was yet another safety net and partly because she was more comfortable with it.

She had an entire section of past events that she couldn't affect anymore, like Naruto's birth, but thought were still worth writing down in case they became useful in the future.

There were many key points she underlined and highlighted. She drew arrows linking them back in time, trying to establish relationships of cause and effect, examining the chain for the easiest link to break.

Maybe she had no reason to help Konoha. But Shikaku, Hinata, Hana and her teammates were in Konoha and she'd rather they didn't die.

And there was one thing... One thing she needed to do: question her father. She had to find out why. If he really was the cause of her reincarnation, she needed to know why his actions had diverged from the original timeline like that. There must have been something _foreign_ that pushed him to experiment on his unborn daughter, thus creating her, and she needed to find out what it was.

When she finally dropped her pen there was one event in the bottom of the page written in capitals and underlined several times: OROCHIMARU IN THE FOREST OF DEATH.

* * *

_A.N.2: This was kind of meh? Too long or wordy? Too philosophical/sciency? I'm thinking of it as the unpolished version of the chapter; I might change it depending on what you guys think._

_Ugh. This is why I need a beta._


	27. Thorough

_A.N.: **Sphere Warrior, **I tried to reply to your review but your PMs are disabled._

_So many interesting reviews! Some of them have been very thought-provoking and helpful in figuring out last chapter, so thank you to everyone who commented. Other reviews were... amusing, though that clearly wasn't the original intent. In any case we broke a record! 73 reviews beat ch.18's 66.  
_

_Wow. I never thought this story would really amount to anything. Every time I update I get scared I'll disappoint.  
_

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Seven

_**[thorough**: complete with regards to every detail; not superficial or partial. Taking pains to do something carefully and completely.]_

* * *

_Forty Days Left_

The original plan had been to avoid the Chunin exams altogether.

Shikaku would have undoubtedly suspected something, but he couldn't _force_ her to take part if she didn't want to. Then request a month-long mission away from Konoha, so she only had to come back once the shit storm of the invasion had already passed, therefore avoiding any contact with Orochimaru.

But if she wanted to confront the Sannin, the Forest of Death was the safest time to do it. In no other circumstance would she have the entire Konoha ninja force on backup. Besides, she knew that sooner or later her father would seek her out again; better for the confrontation to happen on her terms, when she still had weeks of preparation and knew what to expect, than Orochimaru catching her unprepared in a random mission or another exam she had no foreknowledge of, miles away from Konoha. It wasn't like he would kill her immediately, either; his main objective this time was Sasuke, and a scientist wouldn't willingly destroy an experiment he'd been sitting on for fourteen years anyway. No, Orochimaru wanted her alive and relatively healthy.

Still, the risk would be huge. She wasn't delusional enough to believe she could stand up to him by herself, or that her teammates were strong enough to survive if her father set his mind to the contrary.

It was time to start preparing.

Training ground 44 was just outside the walls of Konoha. It was essentially a fenced circle of terrain with a radius of ten kilometers, containing the densest area of forest in the Land of Fire. It had forty-four doors located in regular intervals along its perimeter, each locked with a heavy chain.

"Um, what are we doing here, Aoi?"

"Scouting the terrain," she replied, tilting her head up to take in the fence. It wasn't particularly tall, in fact she was surprised by how easy it would be to just climb over it. On the other side of the fence the forest was eerily silent, not a rustle to be heard, even when the wind made the branches shift. "They have wards," she realized. "We can't jump over it."

Daichi shifted uncomfortably. "If it's a training ground, why does it have wards?"

"To keep people out, obviously. Or maybe to keep something _in," _she speculated. Yeah, it wouldn't be very good if the oversized monsters in there were to roam free around Konoha.

Daichi seemed unconvinced.

It took them twenty minutes to find the only gate that was open. Unfortunately, a Chunin guard was slouching besides it. He had a strange triangular burn scar on one side of his nose and spiky dark hair, and though he seemed bored, Aoi knew better than to assume he wasn't paying attention. They watched him from behind a rock, far enough away that they wouldn't get noticed.

"Why do you want to get in there?" Aris whispered. "There are other places to train."

"I've heard there are monsters. I want to see if it's true."

He sighed, but didn't bother asking what the _real_ reason was. They'd find out soon enough.

"We should just ask first," she muttered to herself, preparing the hand seals for a Henge.

Aris stopped her. "Wait. I need the practice." He closed his eyes, concentrating on his chakra, and remained that way for some time. His teammates watched silently. He did the hand seals with only one hand, slowly and carefully, like an Academy student learning it for the first time.

It wasn't successful. In front of them crouched Sakura Haruno, with her bright eyes and pink hair; but her symmetry was odd, her left arm longer than it should be and one side of her face wider than the other. "Not good?" Aris guessed, taking in his teammates' uncomfortable expressions.

Daichi shifted. "I'll go." He transformed with a poof and bolted over the rock.

Aoi and Aris watched as Sakura talked to the guard, who laughed at her question and smirked as he answered. "Good choice," Aoi complimented. "It isn't so suspicious if a it's random Genin fresh out of the Academy asking questions."

Aris slumped. "Would have been nice if I'd actually managed it, though."

Two minutes later Daichi was back behind the rock. "Genin aren't allowed in. The training ground's for Chunin and above only."

Aoi nodded. Now what? It was too risky to transform into Konoha Chunin, as the guard might recognise them. And they couldn't resort to violence either. These were the typical situations where a well-timed genjutsu would be very useful. She eyeballed her teammates. Why did none of them have even a single genjutsu? It seemed like a huge oversight on Shikaku's part.

They left the Chunin guard and circled around to examine one of the closed gates. "It's just a regular padlock," Aris observed. "Can't you pick it?"

"Maybe. If it's just meant to keep Genin out it can't be that hard." Aoi placed her hand on it and performed a Diagnostic Palm, feeling out for the shape of the lock. She carefully moulded her chakra in the little hollows and turned; it wasn't all that different from chakra scalpels, which were meant for harder and more delicate operations. It clicked open. They looked at each other, holding their breath, but when a few seconds passed and nothing happened they untangled the chain and stepped through the gate.

"Let's get away from the Chunin," Daichi proposed. "We don't want him to hear us."

"The wards block out many things, including sound," Aoi informed, jumping up onto a branch. "But I'm not sure about chakra signatures, so yeah, let's move."

They ran in a straight line for a while towards the center of the area. The boys were more worried about getting caught, listening for sounds of pursuit; until they passed over a tiger the size of an elephant thrashing erratically and slamming itself on the surrounding trees, at which point the priority shifted to survival. Aris cleared the area quickly without drawing its attention, but Daichi stopped to watch. "What..." He soon saw the reason why it was contorting so painfully: a swarm of minute wasps that followed it around, making a loud, threatening noise. The places where they stung started to swell like small pink bubbles, until the entire animal was covered in them. It roared one last time before the bubbles imploded, spraying blood everywhere. The buzz of the swarm heightened in pitch as they fell on the carcass of the tiger, eagerly devouring its flesh.

Daichi was too entranced to notice how one of the wasps drifted away from the others and made its way up his tree and onto his skin. Horrified, he squished it and fled without a look back. "Why are we in this place?" he demanded once he'd caught up to his teammates. "It's forbidden to Genin for a reason!"

Aris looked at Aoi. "Yes, I'd like to know too."

She sighed and stopped on her branch. They stopped too. "Alright, think about it. You know the basic structure of the Chunin exams, right? Some sort of initial test, a survival exercise, and one-to-one battles in the third stage." The boys nodded. "Well I don't know about the first one, but it's pretty clear that the survival test will happen here. So, we're scouting."

Aris frowned. "I see." He looked around. "It _is_ the perfect place for a survival test. And it's the only training ground in Konoha where Genin aren't allowed, so they wouldn't know what to expect beforehand."

Daichi blinked. "We're cheating?"

Aoi smiled and brought her thumb and forefinger together so they almost touched. "Only a bit."

Aris shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his shoulder. "But we don't even know if Shikaku will nominate us."

"He will," she replied confidently. "Even if you're crap at combat Daichi and I can cover for you. Besides, the exams being in Konoha will always be much safer. He won't waste the opportunity just because of your arm."

They continued running, changing direction to give the tower at the center of the training ground a wide berth. They found a dark red plant that released some sort of gas that burned their lungs and made Aris and Aoi lose consciousness. Luckily, Daichi, who was at the back of the formation, was able to hold his breath long enough to get his teammates out.

Later, Aris got caught on some invisible threads mid-jump, hanging suspended in the air. He struggled but by the time he tried to reach for his kunai his hand was too tangled to maneuver. Aoi fried a plant with her lightning, and Daichi spread the ashes over the area so it clung to the thread, making it visible. They managed to cut him free before whatever huge spider had made the web arrived.

It was only when they were on the way back that Daichi noticed a second wasp on his skin. He quickly squished it again. "Guys..."

A faint buzzing sound was heard in the distance.

"I think the wasps are following me," he finished lamely.

Aoi didn't bother asking which wasps. Instead, she increased the pace to the fastest they could go, aiming for the gate they'd entered from. A couple more wasps buzzed around Daichi's head - he unsuccessfully tried to shake them off. Soon, each of them was swatting and slapping at their arms, breathing hard. They were keeping ahead of the thick of the swarm but only barely. Aoi's skin was already starting to swell "Shit," she swore. The gate was still far. They wouldn't make it.

Aris spotted one of the dark red plants and veered off towards it. The wasps surrounding him left him alone as soon as he reached the limit of the gas. Aoi and Daichi, when they realized this, followed him through, and they emerged on the other side of the gas cloud wasp-free. From that point on they raced for the gate with single-minded focus.

"Fuck," Daichi panted once they were safely outside. "That was intense."

Aris was squishing the small pink bubbles on his skin like bubble wrap, a trickle of blood spurting out with each one. "It was close," he agreed.

Aoi swatted his hands away. "Don't do that." She started healing his skin, reducing the swelling. Hers was already back to normal.

"We should make a list," Daichi continued, now talking to himself. "The Carnivorous Wasps from Hell are scared away by the Gazzy Red Thing. The trees with holes in the trunk have Flying Vampiric Caterpillars hiding in them. And that weird blue blob on some rocks squirts out acid if you go near it." He leaned back on his elbows and looked up thoughtfully. "People are going to die in this thing."

* * *

_Thirty-Eight Days Left_

There wasn't really time to experiment.

All her projects were regrettably put aside in favor of training. She had the half-formed idea to make Aris a chakra-conductive prosthetic, and she wanted to investigate the ink that was made visible when chakra was channeled into the paper and a few other things, but it all had to be postponed. She had a meeting with Hiashi to warn him she needed the time to "prepare for the Chunin exams". He wasn't terribly pleased but relented in the end.

She reviewed her basics and brushed up on her taijutsu. Lee was a great partner for that. She'd convinced him it was okay to take his weights off once in a while, and when he did every spar was a formidable challenge. He was _fast_. And _destructive_. The only way she could win was by cheating with medical ninjutsu.

She also decided to track down Kakashi and pester him for a new jutsu. It probably wouldn't make much of a difference against Orochimaru but she had to start expanding her arsenal at some point, and now, before things got complicated, seemed like a good time. By her count Kakashi would be sent to Wave any day so she had to act quickly.

Finding him was easy enough, she just had to look for the noisiest part of the village which usually coincided with the location of his team's daily mission. That day they were on sharpening duty at the village's main Workshop. The Genin were each bent over a weapon while Kakashi lounged on a chair with his nose in a book, occasionally encouraging them to go faster. Every so often Sakura's strident shouts of protest and Naruto and Sasuke's arguing wafted down into the adjacent streets.

Convincing him, however, was another matter entirely.

"As you can see, I'm in the middle of a mission," he said, gesturing vaguely to his Genin. The three of them had paused in their argument to stare at Aoi, wondering who she was and why she'd walked in.

She rummaged in her pocket. "I have this," she said, producing a book with an orange cover.

Kakashi looked interested until he read the title. "Sorry, already own that one."

Aoi sighed and put it back in her pocket. She'd purchased an Icha Icha volume at random for use as bait, but now she'd have to go back and spend more money on one Kakashi didn't own.

"I own all the titles available in Konoha's bookshops," he added, returning to his own book.

She sighed louder. That plan was out, then.

"Sensei! Who is that?" Naruto was pointing at her to make sure everyone knew who he was referring to.

Kakashi eye-smiled at him. It was the fakest smile Aoi had ever seen - normally he actually bothered to move his mouth under his mask but this time he didn't even try. "Someone I went on a mission with once."

"Oh." Naruto looked at Aoi suspiciously, and she stared back blankly. He probably didn't remember her from the Academy - they'd only actually interacted once and it was when he was around seven or eight, he'd surely forgotten. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura seemed to recognize her either. The former because he'd never bothered with upperclassmen and the latter because she'd never bothered with anyone who wasn't Sasuke. Also, Aoi had a tendency to avoid them both because of their involvement in the Plot.

Of course the point was moot now, since she'd decided to intervene, but old habits died hard.

"I only really need the jutsu theory and basic guidelines," she insisted to Kakashi, ignoring the Genin for now. "I think I have a good enough grasp on lightning transformation to figure it out myself after that."

"Why don't you just look at scrolls then," he suggested without looking up.

Aoi grimaced. Guidelines for the most common jutsu used by Konoha ninja were kept in a storage area under the Hokage tower and theoretically accessible to all ninja who wished to learn. The problem was that the techniques were so generic and low-level they were rarely useful, there was nothing even remotely specialized (with the sole exception of medical ninjutsu, many books on that). Any potentially powerful jutsu was protected by layers and layers of security. She supposed it was a safety measure to prevent spies from leaking Konohagakure techniques.

Aoi didn't know how Naruto had managed to steal that scroll with the Shadow Clone jutsu, or how he'd learned it in just a few hours, but she wasn't risking being mistaken for a spy.

"Genin are only given access to D-Rank scrolls. I need something a bit more useful than that."

"Hmmm, alright. I'll think about it."

Aoi immediately translated that as _I really can't be bothered. _Great. She brought him back from the dead and this was what she got in exchange.

Backup plan.

Shikaku was perfectly willing to teach her an Earth jutsu. In fact, he seemed unusually excited, as if he'd been waiting for it for a long time. Aoi realized that it was quite justified; back when the team was formed she used to ask him many things, whether it was chakra theory or training drills, but for a while now it had been him the one who proposed exercises while she just accepted passively. Between her busy schedule and the sore memory of that disastrous mission in Hot Springs their relationship had cooled a few degrees, and she'd stopped relying on him.

She resolved to get her head out of her ass now and ask for help. Shikaku was a valuable resource, especially if she intended to start meddling.

"Earth release is the most versatile of all natures," he explained, a sparkle in his eye betraying how enthusiastic he was. "It allows you to change the consistency of earth to be as hard as metal, or as soft as clay, or even turn it into sand. In theory you can also alter the weight of objects but only few people can actually manage that."

The scientist in Aoi reeled. There were so many things wrong with that explanation she didn't even know where to start. Changing the mass of an object without altering anything else? Really? But she made an effort to suspend disbelief and continued listening.

"You can also create earth from your chakra but that's wastage considering the availability of the element. The chakra still has to be able to manipulate earth, though, and for that it needs to acquire its properties." He pointed at her feet. "We'll start simple. Try to soften the ground you're standing on."

Aoi had excellent chakra control, which would allow her to drive her chakra into the ground in many fine threads and separate them so the earth became looser. It wasn't nature transformation, only pure shape manipulation, and it didn't work; the earth was too solid and heavy. "You're doing it wrong. Make a mold around the portion you want to soften," Shikaku suggested. "And try to make the chakra permeate through the earth in an even wave."

Lightning transformation, once she'd understood it, hadn't been too hard to perform. It came with almost no effort to her now, like her chakra was just following railroad tracks, or, more accurately, flowing through a pre-designed circuit. Trying to make it acquire the solidity of earth when it was usually fast and volatile felt wrong, like shoving it in a space it wasn't meant to fit into.

She continued practicing Shikaku's exercise whenever she could. At the beginning she did it with her palms flat on the ground (as a medic, her control was much more refined through the tenketsu of the hand) and when she'd managed it that way she tried to do it through her feet only, which was much harder. She also experimented on different kinds of soils, learning to adjust for differences between rocks and dirt.

Like the lightning, it eventually got easier with time, but there was a small nagging feeling of wrongness that never went away. She had doubts about being able to replicate it in a battle situation.

Shikaku stared at her strangely when she explained her frustration. "Aoi, most ninja don't become proficient at their primary nature transformation until Chunin. Some Jounin don't even have two. Ninjutsu isn't even your specialty, you're a medic-nin and a close range fighter."

She scowled. 'Most ninja' also died often and early, and they didn't even plan to meddle with the fate of the universe. She didn't aim to be 'most ninja.'

"I think if you teach me an actual jutsu I might get better," she said.

Shikaku seemed amused. "You're starting to sound like Daichi." The boy in question called out an indignant "Hey!" He was still practicing the basic chakra control exercises, and still got angry at Shikaku for not teaching him nature transformation, but he didn't protest as much as he used to. Perhaps because now that Aris was back to basics too he wasn't the only one suffering.

Though more likely because he felt guilty about the Haran mission and had started taking his training seriously as a way to atone. Aoi didn't think it would last for more than a fortnight.

"But maybe you have a point," Shikaku continued, completely ignoring Daichi. "There's only so much you can improve with basic exercises. Do you have something in particular in mind?"

"An escape jutsu," Aoi answered immediately. She'd thought about it and decided that another combat jutsu would be difficult to incorporate to her style in the time she had left and probably wouldn't help against Orochimaru anyway; he outclassed her by miles in that area. Something designed to escape, or at least remain safe until help arrived, would be much more useful and had more chances of potentially saving her life.

"Hm." Shikaku stroked his goatee, thinking. "Yes, that could work." He showed her the hand signs. "It's called Moguragakure no Jutsu and it allows you to hide underground. The principle is the same as what you've been doing, except you soften the earth around your whole body, allowing the ground to swallow you up. The hand seals railroad most of your chakra so it's not actually as hard as it sounds."

Aoi nodded; it sounded familiar, though she wasn't sure it was from the manga.

"One of the problems of this technique is breathing while you're underground. Some people hold their breath, but I think you'll be able to manage a small air pocket around your head. Adding an extra Ram sign at the end helps with that."

"How do I know what's going on in the surface?"

Shikaku scratched his head. "There are different ways. Good sensors use their chakra-sense, some people can tell by vibrations or sound, a few use magnetic forces. You find what works for you."

Aoi did the handseals and poured chakra into it. She didn't panic when she was swallowed up by the earth and she realized she didn't know how to go back up. Her body was compressed and suffocated from above and below but there was some room around her head. She flared her chakra and waited for Shikaku to come get her, trying to keep her breathing slow and shallow. It took him some time, but eventually something closed around her arm and pulled her upwards and they emerged coughing out dirt. "You've actually got to dig out your way to move. Mold your chakra to push the rocks away as you advance."

She eventually learned the jutsu, by pure mechanical action, though she still had no idea why it worked. It was the difference between reciting something you'd memorized and understanding it. She _understood_ lightning transformation to the point she could experiment with it; Hiding like a Mole was rote memorization.

It would have to do for now. She'd explore Earth transformation after the Chunin exams, if she was still alive.

* * *

_Thirty days left_

The second time Aoi returned to the Forest of Death she didn't bring her team. She brought Hinata.

It was amazing how drastically having a Byakugan on the party improved things. Hinata could spot most of the dangers with plenty of time to evade them (or approach and assess them, since they _were_ scouting). Aoi imagined her teammates' skillset would only increase the effect. Yeah, team eight were the best equipped for survival out of the Rookie Nine, no wonder they passed the exam without much trouble the first time around.

When Hinata asked why they were sneaking into the training ground, Aoi gave the same explanation. Preparing for the exams. Hinata predictably was reluctant at first but Aoi insisted that she needed her help and that as ninja they had to make use of every advantage that was presented to them. And Hinata, are you willing to let your teammates get hurt because you refused a chance to prepare? That was the one that did her in.

Aoi regretted her words when, barely thirty minutes inside the forest, Hinata dropped like a stone.

Aoi was behind her and was able to catch her before she hit the ground, taking the fall instead. She rolled through it, protecting Hinata's head with her arm. Then she lay her on the ground and quickly checked her over - to find that both her blood and chakra were being sucked out at an alarming rate. She tore her jacket off, which revealed a small leech stuck to her neck, growing fatter every second.

She sighed in relief. Only a leech. _How did she not notice it? Her Byakugan was activated. Oh, right. Blindspot above the first thoracic vertebra. _She carefully sliced the leech with a kunai, unstuck the halves from the Hyuga's skin and healed the ugly mark they left behind.

Hinata came around twenty minutes later. Aoi wordlessly handed her a protein bar and gestured to the bisected corpse of the leech on the ground. "Konohagakure jumping leeches. Watch out for those, they usually attack in a group. Do you think you can keep going?"

Hinata seemed a bit spooked but nodded.

They would have ran into a pair of Chunin fighting a giant centipede, had Hinata not spotted them in time. They changed directions, the Hyuga anxiously keeping an eye on them until they defeated it, which allowed her to relax.

Unfortunately Hinata's chakra reserves didn't allow her to keep her Byakugan switched on for the entirety of the run, but with regular checks and Aoi's experience they managed to make it out safely in the end. Then they went to the marketplace and bought ice cream, as if it had just been a normal sparring session. "I probably won't have time to take you again," Aoi mused. "But please, don't try to enter it if I'm not there."

Hinata licked her ice-cream silently. "Thank you for this, Aoi-san," she finally said. "I, um, thanks to you I'll be more prepared, if my Sensei nominates me."

"Yeah." Aoi glanced sideways at her. "Hey, if we see each other in trouble out there, let's help each other, alright?"

Hinata blushed and mumbled something. She swallowed and tried again, not quite meeting Aoi's eyes. "I-I'll always do my best to help my f-friends, no matter the situation."

"You're a very nice person, Hinata." She ignored the pang of guilt and convinced herself that her first objective really had been to increase Hinata's chances of survival.

* * *

_Twenty Days Left_

"No," Neji said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I don't agree."

"Why not, Neji-san?" Lee asked. "I too want to fight Team Shikaku eventually but I don't see anything wrong with a temporary alliance!"

"Yeah," Tenten agreed, "I think cooperating is a good idea, at least at first."

Team Shikaku had gone to find Team Gai after one of their practices. Lee, as always, had bruises and cuts everywhere; Aoi immediately moved to heal him, and was surprised to find some fairly serious internal bleeding as well. She eyed Neji warily. He'd been unusually harsh on his teammate today. Though to be fair, he too sported a darkening bruise on his jaw, and his left arm was kept rigidly straight at his side. She looked back to Lee.

Something had gone down.

Oh well. Not her business. Tenten seemed cheerful enough, so it couldn't have been too bad.

"Look," Aris insisted, "all I'm saying is that if an opportunity to cooperate comes up, we should. There will be many foreign teams out there that won't be queasy about seriously hurting or even killing us Konoha ninja. It is almost certain that our chances of success will increase if we work together, no matter what the test is."

Neji didn't say anything, his mouth pressed into a firm, displeased line.

"They have a point," Tenten mused. "We would have a huge advantage over everyone else by working as a six-man team rather than just three people or individuals."

It was the standard idea of _together we are stronger_ and _fight for the village_ force-fed down every child's throat since they first set foot in the Academy. Really, Aoi wasn't surprised that Tenten and Lee had accepted it so quickly - it aligned perfectly with the whole Will of Fire dogma. Neji's pride was obviously getting in the way, though.

"I don't need _their_ help to pass," he said icily.

The silence that followed was mildly uncomfortable as his teammates were reminded that Neji was indeed superior. "You never know," Aoi said, concentrating on Lee's liver. "We might have info that interests you."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "I'm not an idiot, Momoru. I know this is your idea, not his," he stated, jerking his head towards Aris and crossing his arms. "I don't know what you're planning, but I will take you down in these exams."

Aoi's hands paused over Lee's stomach, but she didn't turn to look at him. It was the first time Neji voiced his intentions out loud and clear. _Great_._ Just what I needed, more complications_. "How about this," she proposed, breaking the silence. "We agree to eliminate the competition before we eliminate each other." She'd have to approach them again, once the exams had actually started. A truce would do for now.

Neji's eyes narrowed further. "Fine." He turned and left with a haughty glare, somehow managing to look graceful even though he had a slight limp.

* * *

_Fourteen days left_

Aoi ducked under the spider's jaws and slashed up at it, then raced under its body and between its legs, avoiding its deadly claws. The tree branch was covered in a sticky substance that made moving difficult for her but acted as a booster for the spider's movements, allowing it to spin and balance around the branch fast enough to keep up with her. Occasionally the viscous secretion burst into flames, sending wood chips flying everywhere. Aoi had already been caught in the explosions a couple of times, but she was getting better at switching branches quickly.

They slid and swung around the branches and the tree trunks, playing a game of cat-and-cat, until eventually she managed to swing onto the spider's back and slammed her palms on the back of its neck. The monster crumpled beneath her in a pile of hard shell and long limbs. Aoi jumped off its back and kicked it off the tree, watching as it fell and hit the ground with a cracking sound, very far below. Then she straightened, breathing hard and wiping sweat from her brow.

She surveyed the area, reviewing the map of the forest in her mind one last time.

"Okay," she said to no one in particular, before turning around back to the gate.

* * *

_Ten Days Left_

Security was increased all throughout the village in preparation for the exam. ANBU teams let themselves be seen patrolling during the day. All access to training ground 44 was cut off and the wards around it were strengthened. Aoi didn't risk trying to go back in - she was as ready as she'd ever be.

* * *

_Eight Days Left_

Foreign teams started arriving to Konoha. Sabaku no Gaara and his siblings crossed the gates in the afternoon.

* * *

_Seven Days Left_

Team Seven rescued Konohamaru from a puppeteer who wore creepy face paint.

Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Maito Gai and Shikaku Nara, among other Jounin, formally nominated their teams for the Chunin exams.

* * *

_Six Days Left_

A bunny. A kunai. A bunny again, though that top bit there was shifting and making it look more like a cat.

There was a rumor that a clan in Kumo could predict the future looking at the shape of the clouds. That would be nice. Did a heart-shaped cloud mean he'd get a loving untroublesome wife that played Go? Hm, it was shifting to look more like a question mark. Or maybe a snake. So much for that.

Shikamaru Nara wasn't sure of when he fell asleep, but he woke up when someone's shadow fell over his eyelids, blocking out his sun.

Adrenalin woke him unpleasantly from the peaceful doze he'd fallen in, and his chakra attached itself to the shadow underneath him, but he didn't let his body tense. "This forest is territory of the Nara clan," he informed. The silhouette looking down at him, though unfamiliar, had a Konoha headband that glinted in the sunlight. Maybe they had legitimate business in his clan's land; and if they didn't, it was still in his best interest not to appear nervous or alert.

"I know. All the training grounds are occupied so my team is training here today." The person sat down next to him, and now that the sun wasn't behind her Shikamaru could distinguish her features more clearly. Yellow eyes, pale skin, dark hair; he'd seen her face before. She was in that photograph, the one sitting in a corner of the living room, next to a grumpy boy in the middle and a tall blonde boy on the right, with his father standing behind them. It was his father's team photo.

Shikamaru withdrew his chakra from his shadow and relaxed.

"My name is Aoi Momoru. Your father is my Sensei," the girl said. "We're training over there. I'm just taking a break."

Right.

"Six days left until the exam, huh," she said after a beat of silence, leaning back on her elbows.

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, looking back up to the sky. So he'd be competing against his father's student. That was a bummer. His dad wouldn't enter his Genin into an exam if he wasn't reasonably sure they would pass.

"Is your team taking it?"

"We've been nominated," he replied. Of course she already knew that; it was obviously the reason she was talking to him. But what did she want, exactly? Her approach was too straight-forward if her aim was information gathering. Another cloud drifted by. It was a hand.

"I don't want to go against you unless I have to," she said.

A truce offer. Interesting. "Listen, I also see the benefits of two teams cooperating, but I can't trust you just because my father is your Sensei."

Aoi nodded. "I don't expect you to. But, I'll give you a piece of advice, as a fellow Leaf genin." She tapped her fingers on her thigh absently. "There will be a team from Suna, with a boy with red hair named Gaara. Stay away from him, he's dangerous." Shikamaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye, surprised by the freely-given info. "If you find my information useful, please reconsider working with me." She stood up. "See ya."

A thought occurred to Shikamaru as she was walking away, and he sat up. "Wait. How many teams have you already approached?"

Aoi smiled at him.

Dammit. So there was already an alliance, formed by an unknown number of teams. Too troublesome. Maybe it was best not to enter the exam at all.

On the other hand, it would be stupid to waste the home field advantage, and it would be years before it cycled back to Konoha. And Ino and Chouji would be _definitely_ trampled without him (while it was only _probable_ if he was with them). If he could get an experienced team like Aoi's behind him, plus whatever allies she already had, the chances of passing or at least surviving weren't that bleak.

Assuming, of course, that she didn't plan to back stab him, but he doubted she'd antagonize her Sensei like that.

It was a good plan. Aoi wanted the Leaf genin to work together, or at least not to work against each other. They could get rid of the other villages early on and then duke it out between themselves, when they could be reasonably sure that no one would aim to kill.

"Okay," Shikamaru said.

Aoi smiled wider. "Great. See you in six days."

Troublesome.

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

_Two days left_

Hiruzen reviewed the paperwork, again. 29 teams from Leaf. 10 teams from Sand. 7 teams from Rain. 2 teams from Grass. 2 teams from Waterfall. And only 1 team from Sound. In total, 51 teams, meaning 153 shinobi, had been entered for the Chunin exams.

There was a knock at his door. "Come in," he said without looking up from the paper.

His secretary opened the door. "Hokage-sama, Suzume-san is here to see you. She says it's urgent."

Then he did look up, as he sensed his visitor's heavily agitated chakra on the other side of the wall. "Let her in."

"H-Hokage-sama..." Suzume bowed as she walked in, visibly pale and nervous. She was one of the Chunin assigned to Mission Desk duty that week, a young woman with dark curly hair and glasses who sometimes taught at the Academy. She clutched a white paper in one hand.

Hiruzen poured chakra into the array that activated the privacy seals of his office and gestured for his secretary to close the door.

"Sorry for interrupting your work so close to the exams. It's probably a prank, but I thought I should bring it to your attention anyway." She offered him the paper.

It was a mission request form, the ones they asked clients to fill so they could sort them into their proper rank and decide whether a personal interview was required. "It was mixed in among the D-Ranks," Suzume blabbered on. "Someone must have slipped it in the pile without us noticing. I apologize, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen gestured for her to be quiet. There seemed to be no traps on the paper - no hidden fuinjutsu or tracers. He read it. Then he blinked, and read it again.

_**Name of Client**: Anonymous... **Profession**: Oracle ヽ(⌐■_■)ノ _

_**Place of Residence**: Not telling :p_

_**Mission**: Stop Orochimaru at the Forest of Death... dun dun dun_

_**Proposed Rank**: Uh, dunno. I'd definitely class it as S lol_

_**Proposed Payment**: A secret. Follow the rules if you want it. I'm watching you ┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴_

_**Further Details**: Nope. _

_Good luck! ٩(^ᴗ^)۶_

Hiruzen leaned back on his chair, incredulous. "Fetch me the Jounin Commander."

* * *

_One day left_

A team of ten ANBU swept over training ground 44, looking for any traps or anomalies, but they found none. When they were done, they stationed themselves at regular intervals around the perimeter, invisible and undetectable. They would remain there until the end of the second phase.

The Rookie Nine were nervous and excited. Hinata Hyuga announced to her father her intentions of participating in the exam. He gave her a serious stare. "Do not dishonour the clan." Hinata fidgeted and replied, "I won't."

Sakura Haruno spent the entire day wondering if she was good enough. So did Aris Himori, who stayed out training late into the night.

Aoi Momoru assembled all the papers detailing her knowledge of the future. She numbered and grouped them. Then, because they were in English and she doubted anyone, including Shikaku, could decipher an entire new language without a single clue, she translated the first page into Japanese to act as a Rosetta stone. Then she put everything in a green folder and left for one of the civilian districts.

* * *

_A.N.2: Eh, this was long. I got lazy towards the end. Probably lots of mistakes too. Tell me if you spot any._


	28. Oblivious

_A.N.: I'm soooooooowwwwy! *Bows down in shame* I do not deserve your awesomeness!  
_

_So, this was originally much longer... But I decided to cut it because it was taking me weeks to figure out the last bit and I thought you guys had waited long enough... So yeah... On the plus side, next chapter is pretty much done save for that last bit... I'll put it up as soon as I sort that out._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Eight

_[**oblivious**: not aware or concerned about what is happening around one.]_

* * *

_Zero days left_

Aoi woke up panting, already halfway out of bed with a kunai clutched tightly in one hand.

There was a moment of wild-eyed panic before she registered the empty room and the first rays of the sun innocently streaming through her window. She lowered the kunai.

_It's been a while,_ she thought. The nightmare had been frequent enough in the first months of her second life, often causing her to start wailing for no apparent reason, to Nana's distress. It hadn't been very surprising. Many people had nightmares following near-death experiences - and given she _had_ actually died, and not in a particularly short or painless manner at that, she supposed she was entitled to her share of PTSD. But she hadn't had the nightmare in years and she'd been hoping that meant it was gone. Wrong, apparently.

She walked to the window and pressed her forehead against it, taking a moment to calm down. The cool glass against her skin did nothing to dispel the feeling of intense heat charring her body and smoke suffocating her throat.

There, staring out at the still-slumbering Konoha - silent, innocent Konoha, blissfully unaware of the storm that was coming - self-preservation instincts kicked in with full force and she was overtaken by an extremely powerful urge to leave the village. It wouldn't matter where she went. Just as far away from here as possible. _Last chance_. _I can pack and go, there's still time. _Because no matter the extent of her preparations, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't die today.

She barely suppressed it with a long exhale.

* * *

Shikaku rested his head in his palm, his eyes unfocused on the world around him.

That warning - it bugged him. There was something he was missing.

Of course Anonymous was referring to the second phase of the Chunin exams - the timing of the letter made that much obvious. But why would Orochimaru return to Konoha, why now? What was his objective? And most importantly, who was Anonymous, and why was he snitching?

He hadn't yet arrived to a conclusion. It could, of course, be a joke, but there was something jarring about the way it had been written that made him reluctant to think it was a simple prank. Too deliberately vague. And regardless, they had to act on it anyway, because they couldn't risk not being prepared in the small chance that the warning was genuine.

But it could also be a distraction to pave the way for a third party while Konoha was focused on a false lead. It could have been planted by Orochimaru himself, to get them to converge on the Forest of Death while he attacked from another angle. The strategic applications of leaking false information were endless.

Shikaku brought the note he'd memorized back to the forefront of his mind. Frustratingly, he was no closer to answers than when the Hokage had summoned him to his office, along with Ibiki and Anko, the first and second test examiners.

_Profession: Oracle_

"Oracle," he repeated out loud.

He was sitting in the Jounin lounge, observing the Genin arriving to the building on the opposite side of the road with their registration forms clutched tightly in their hands. Many other Jounin watched silently, as he did, - or not so silently in Gai's case, who burst into tears when his team entered the building and cried that he couldn't bear not witnessing this momentous occasion in their lives (blah blah, everyone in the room had learned to tune him out over the years) until he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Gai's loud speech was the reason why in a room full of Jounin only Asuma Sarutobi, who was sitting next to him, heard Shikaku's quiet statement and raised an eyebrow in question, but the Jounin Commander didn't continue his deduction out loud.

Oracle. He couldn't be an actual oracle, of course, but he could be suggesting that he had more information than he was letting on. Why had he leaked so little in the first place, in such a cryptic, deliberately obscure manner? Clearly their mystery ally, even if he intended to help them, also had a hidden agenda - he'd specified the Forest of Death, meaning he didn't want them capturing or killing the Sannin before then. The information he provided was limited precisely for that purpose.

_Proposed payment: A secret. Follow the rules if you want it. I'm watching you_  
__

Shikaku tapped his fingers on his chin.

Anonymous was in Konoha. Probably infiltrated in the exam, in fact, along with Orochimaru. It was the only way either of them could enter the Forest of Death at this time.

Canceling the exam had never been a viable option. All foreign teams had already arrived, and calling it off because of a threat from a missing-nin would be a show of weakness to both their clients and the other nations. Not to mention it might not stop Orochimaru (or Anonymous if he was the true mastermind) at all.

Instead, every ninja ranked Chunin and above had been ordered to prepare for armed conflict, and ANBU had been mobilized, just in case. In the Jounin lounge, the air buzzed with a subtle tension. An outsider would never notice, but every ninja had their tells and Shikaku knew most of them well. Asuma's drags on his cigarette were too deep, Kakashi was taking too long to flip the pages of his book.

Luckily they'd been expecting armed conflict from some time. There was unrest in Sound, Grass and Rain, the Haran fiasco had lowered their lukewarm relations with Cloud and Mist to sub-zero temperatures, and patrols kept finding foreign shinobi on the wrong side of Fire's borders with increasing frequency. The winds of war were once again approaching the elemental nations, drawing patterns in the sands of Suna, whistling between the peaks of Lightning and making the leaves of Fire rustle in anticipation. At least Konoha wasn't caught completely flat-footed, even if the battle came from an unexpected side.

If someone was making a move today, whether it truly was Orochimaru, or Anonymous, or a third unknown enemy, they weren't going to succeed - Shikaku would make sure of it.

* * *

Aoi and Daichi met up at the entrance of the exam building. "Where's Aris?" she asked. "He is coming, right?" She'd just assumed he would - Aris wasn't the type to let his team down. But what if he chickened out at the last second, automatically failing her and thus destroying her plans? Though that would mean she wouldn't have to face Orochimaru.

Daichi nodded. "He said he'd be here soon. He had some last-minute preparations to take care of."

Aris arrived a few moments later, dressed in the long burgundy coat he wore to cover up his missing arm. Except, it was no longer missing. Fingers peeked out from the usually empty sleeve.

"Henge?" Aoi questioned, curious.

He nodded. "I thought it was best. I can't actually use it for anything, and it looks kinda rigid when I move it, but at least people won't realize I'm a cripple at first glance," he explained, feeling lame.

Daichi looked away guiltily.

They arrived to the second floor in time to hear the tail end of Sakura's explanation about the genjutsu. The guys guarding the door - two examiners in disguise - smiled thinly. "Not bad," the one with the spiky hair said, shifting slightly. "But seeing through it isn't enough!" Aoi stepped aside to avoid getting caught in the middle when he rushed at Sasuke. Lee did the opposite, whooshing past her to stop both the examiner's kick and Sasuke's counter with his bare hands. In the ensuing silence he glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye to make sure she'd seen his cool move.

Aoi was glad to know some things remained predictable.

"Hey," Neji said, irritated. "What happened to the plan? You were the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

Lee ignored him, stalking to Sakura. "Hi, my name is Lee." He blushed, hesitated, and finally seemed to gather his courage with a _good guy_ pose. "Please go out with me! I'll protect you until I die!"

_He needs to work on his pick up lines._

Team Shikaku slipped past the gathered Genin and climbed up the stairs while everyone was busy witnessing Lee's humiliating rejection.

There were a dozen teams already inside the real room 301 - the ones not only able to see through the genjutsu but smart enough not to tell everyone else about it. Hinata, Kiba and Shino were there, as well as a few older Leaf genin and a trio of Rain ninja with umbrellas and oxygen tanks. The vast majority were faces Aoi didn't recognize, so she assumed they either didn't pass the first test or were massacred in the second.

There was also team from Grass, easily distinguishable thanks to the wide conical hats they wore. One of the members was a tall androgynous man with long dark hair and pale skin. He smiled at Aoi when she entered. She tried to seem uninterested while inwardly suppressing a shiver - it was very hard to act natural knowing that her father was standing in the same room as her and no one there, including the disguised Chunin, would be able to do anything if he spontaneously decided to kill her.

She did spare a glance to his 'teammates'. Despite her best efforts she hadn't been able to recall what they were like from the manga, or if they'd been significant at all. They were both completely bald, and one of them wore a mask covering his face, made out to resemble some kind of monster.

They made their way over to where Team Eight was standing on one corner of the room. "Hi, Hinata," Aoi said, positioning herself so her back was to Orochimaru and he wouldn't be able to read her lips. "These are my teammates, Aris and Daichi."

"U-um, hi," Hinata replied. "This is Shino-kun. And Kiba-kun. G-guys, this is the friend I told you about."

Kiba crossed his arms, his face set in a scowl. He had noticed nearly everyone there was stronger than him, and had adopted a confident attitude to try to blend in. "Yeah, yeah. Hinata, are you sure she isn't just trying to trick us?"

Aoi smiled. "I'm surprised by the little trust you place in her. She's not stupid, you know. Hinata and I have been friends since before you even knew she existed."

Kiba seemed taken aback at that. He glanced at Hinata for confirmation, but she only blushed and started fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket.

"Listen, _Kiba_," Aoi continued, mockery evident in her tone, "you'd better make sure nothing happens to her. If someone touches a single hair on her head, I'm coming after you," she finished, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kiba made a motion to shake her off, but his eyes widened when he realized he couldn't move his body at all.

Aoi squeezed his shoulder and smiled, still perfectly casual. "See you in the second phase." She withdrew her hand, and with it the paralyzing chakra that had locked his muscles and joints in place. Shino watched the whole exchange without intervening.

Slowly the room filled up with new teams. Aoi was looking for someone in particular: the spy. Because Kabuto wouldn't be here, Orochimaru must have planted another spy among the participants to fill his role. The Sannin needed someone to approach Sasuke, gain his trust and monitor him through the second phase after he got the mark. The spy also had to be a Konoha Genin, since even Team Seven wasn't gullible enough to trust a foreigner.

Finding and eliminating him soon, ideally before the start of the second phase, was her priority at this stage. The less unknown variables there were when she entered that forest the higher her chances of success.

Ino-Shika-Cho entered soon after, so visibly nervous and strung that the word Rookies might as well have been plastered on their foreheads. Aoi waved at Shikamaru. He relaxed slightly and nodded back.

Finally Naruto's team walked in. Like always, they made noise, starting to bicker with the other Rookie Nine. Aoi pretended not to notice how the whole room leaned forwards in anticipation of easy prey. The trio of Sound-nin at the back especially - the way they focused on Sasuke was so obvious she was surprised he couldn't feel their glares on his neck.

Aris sighed. "We could have found stronger teams to ally with."

"They're not that bad," Aoi replied. "Just new." She waited, eyes darting around the room. In the original timeline this was when Kabuto had approached Team Seven for the first time. If there was another spy, she had to identify him now.

No one was moving. She risked a glance to Orochimaru, to find that he was staring at Sasuke too, an abnormally long tongue darting out of his mouth to lick his lips.

_Come on, where's your spy..._

A pale guy with a mop of dark grey hair suddenly left the sidelines and made his way towards the rookies. He wore a Konoha hitai-ate around his neck. "Jeez, don't be so loud. What are you, Academy students?"

_Got you, _Aoi thought. Then her smile froze on her face like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her head.

This guy, there was something familiar about him, and it wasn't just the physical resemblance to Kabuto. She couldn't tell exactly when, but she knew she'd seen him before. He looked a few years older than her, sixteen, or maybe seventeen, but despite his height his frame was very thin, almost fragile-looking. His skin was too pale, with an unhealthy grey undertone; and the beginning of a red rash was visible on his shoulder, peeking out from underneath his dark shirt. But most of all it was the demeanor - a posture too casual to be natural; and a bland, generic smile that made her stomach churn on itself.

And then it hit her.

He was Root.

The more she looked at him, the more certain she was. Only Root agents had that air of calculated behavior around them, making them seem _fake_; and this guy was even more obvious than Kabuto had been - his words sounded scripted, his expression way too controlled. It was one of the downsides to the training, she supposed. The permanent suppression of emotions would make most agents come across as odd in a social setting. Sai was an extreme example.

She observed him through narrowed eyes as he gave the rookies advice on how to pass the exam, his speech occasionally punctuated by wet-sounding coughs. It made no sense for Orochimaru to recruit a Root agent; while perfectly obedient soldiers, they were too loyal to Danzo, Kabuto being the rare exception. Besides, this guy seemed like he was about to keel over and die any second, she assessed clinically as he coughed yet again. Her father wouldn't have bothered with him.

So, that only left one option: he'd been sent here by Root itself.

Which meant...

Aoi cursed under her breath. Daichi followed her line of sight and shifted his weight. "Something odd about that guy."

"I don't think he's a Genin," she admitted.

On either side of her the boys exchanged glances. "Let's test it," Aris proposed. Daichi nodded and they dashed around the gathered crowd, converging on the Root. Aoi had the initial reflex to stop them but in the end decided not to, as, if he truly was the spy, he wouldn't risk disqualification by harming other participants before the exam even started.

True to her prediction the Root opted to dodge instead of counter, stepping backwards to avoid the kunai. More than the speed, what impressed Aoi was the precision with which he moved. Even that single step had been tailored for maximum efficiency; he'd only stepped far enough to _barely_ avoid the kunai, not a single inch further than he had to. Perfectly calculated, like everything about him. "What's your deal?" he demanded, raising his arms, fists closed.

After their first miss Daichi and Aris retreated, eyeing him warily. The Root glanced around the room, looking for new threats.

Nope, definitely not a Genin. She wasn't the only one who arrived to the conclusion. Across the room Shikamaru frowned and Tenten's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Lee, that move..."

"I saw it," Lee whispered back.

"That's enough, you worthless scum!" An explosion of chakra and smoke made Aoi and everyone else jump. When it dissipated, the imposing figure of Ibiki Morino, plus a dozen examiners dressed in light grey uniforms, stood in the middle of the room. "I'm Ibiki Morino, the examiner of the first test." He grinned, bloodthirsty. "And for the moment, your worst enemy."

His presence was stifling, leaking out killing intent. Some of the Genin audibly gulped.

"You two," he said, pointing at Aris and Daichi. "Do you want to be disqualified? Fighting is forbidden. For now."

"Sorry," Aris apologized smoothly, relaxing out of his stance. "We got a bit carried away."

Ibiki proceeded to insult and terrorize the gathered participants. The death threats and the black billowing coat were overly dramatic, in Aoi's opinion, though she couldn't say it was ineffective. If she hadn't known there was someone far more powerful inside the room, she would have probably been quite intimidated.

When Ibiki judged a suitable percentage was appropriately cowed he ordered them to draw numbers for seats. Aoi slipped in line right behind Hinata. "Hinata, this is important," she whispered urgently. "You need to tell me what number that guy draws, and then draw the seat right behind his." She jerked her head to the Root at the front of the line.

Hinata didn't question it. "Oh, um, okay." She activated the Byakugan. "57." She focused on the contents of the bag, reading the numbers on the chips through the fabric. "So I take 67?"

_Doujutsu are just an enormous cheat._ "Yes."

Hinata's turn came and she drew. Aoi got number 99. They swapped chips when no one was looking and sat on their respective seats.

The Root didn't suspect anything, his attention focused at the front of the room where Ibiki was explaining the rules of the test. One seat behind him, Aoi tapped her pen on the table impatiently, tac tac tac tac, staring at the back of his head. He could only be here on Danzo's orders. Meaning, the wretched dinosaur and her father were working _together_ in this invasion.

It was so obvious now; Danzo wanted Hiruzen dead, of _course_ he was going to support Orochimaru's plot to assassinate him. In the original invasion, she remembered being shocked by how easily Orochimaru and his agents infiltrated Konoha's ranks, but everything was explained if Danzo was involved.

_Selfish monster. You're perfectly fine with plunging Konoha in war if it means you'll come out of it wearing the hat._

Tac tac tac tac. They must have some sort of agreement: Orochimaru kills the Hokage and Danzo lets him have Sasuke. He despised Uchiha - he was probably glad to be free of the last of them once and for all. There would be a lot of double-crossing in an alliance like that. But it didn't change anything: getting rid of the Root was still the first priority, and now was the time to move.

Aoi purposefully dropped her pen. The sound it made as it hit the floor was clearly audible over the scratches of people writing. It rolled, stopping right under the Root's chair. "Ah, sorry, I dropped my pen," she announced.

One of the examiners made a tsk sound. "Go get it then."

But before she could move, a long purple tongue darted over her desk and picked it up from the floor, offering it to her. "Here you go."

Aoi's neck snapped to the side so fast she got whiplash and her eyes widened. She was speechless.

Orochimaru smiled and wiggled his tongue in front of her face.

"Thank you," she replied mechanically, feeling like her jaw was made of wood.

For an instant his pupils contracted to the original body's vertical slits before reverting back to their rounded shape. "Welcome." Aoi spent the rest of the exam trying to stop herself from trembling. Eliminating the spy while her father was watching was impossible, obviously.

Orochimaru getting the seat _right next to hers_. What were the odds?

* * *

Hinata took a while to get over the fact that desk 99 was right next to Naruto's 100, and thanks to exchanging chips with Aoi she was now sitting there. In fact, Naruto's presence within one meter of her personal space blew nearly every other thought out of her mind.

_Does he think I'm weird? Every time I try to talk to him I look like a blubbering idiot, of course he does. He must be so happy now that Sakura's in his team._ Cue a sigh. _Though maybe he's only pretending to like her? Yeah, right, and my father secretly enjoys belly-dancing. _

In an uncharacteristic episode of girly frustration, Hinata fiercely wished there was something interesting about her, something remarkable to distinguish her from the faceless crowd. Something like Ino's fantastic hair or Sakura's bright, beautiful normal eyes.

Her brain turned to mush for five minutes when Naruto's elbow accidentally brushed her own, and later she hated herself for being so pathetic. _Enough. Naruto's not important right now, the test is.  
_

Being privy to more information than nearly everyone else in the room thanks to her bloodline, she more or less worked out that the questions on the test were too hard to answer for the average Genin, and she was supposed to cheat. So she did. While she might have been reluctant to resort to such cowardly tactics in the past she'd long ago decided that she wouldn't be a burden for her team, even at the cost of her own integrity. Besides, it wasn't really cheating if that was what the test was _about_.

She decided to copy off Aoi. They'd already agreed that they'd help each other during the exam, so Hinata reasoned she wouldn't get angry. However, when she turned her pupil-less eyes on her friend, she discovered that she hadn't touched her paper at all - in fact, the older Genin was unusually still, a droplet of sweat visible on her neck and her lips pursed, eyes staring straight ahead. Strange. What would make her so tense? Hinata frowned, watching the bead of sweat roll down her neck, and the motion of her throat as she swallowed dryly. It couldn't be the test; these questions were nothing compared to the complex data analysis she performed in her experiments.

Hinata looked at the guy sitting next to her, a Grass nin with a wide conical hat. _Must be him_, she decided. He was lounging on his chair like it was the sofa in his living-room, untroubled by the glares of the examiners. His paper was blank too. Occasionally he glanced at Aoi and his lips twitched, as if amused by her nervousness.

Her Byakugan picked up the erratic pulsing of the artery on the side of Aoi's neck, betraying that actually, she was more than nervous. She was terrified. Hinata's alarm grew exponentially. Anyone who scared Aoi to such an extent couldn't be ordinary.

Finally Aoi seemed to get a hold of herself. The line of her shoulders relaxed and she picked up her pen, exhaling slowly, her pulse returning to normal as she concentrated on the paper. Hinata copied down the answers, then with a last suspicious glance at the Grass nin she switched her Byakugan off, since she needed to conserve chakra for the second phase. She wasn't really worried about Shino and Kiba, they both were good enough to cheat properly.

Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Hinata gently kicked him under the desks. "Um... You can copy off me, if you want..." she mouthed, subtly pushing her paper towards him.

Naruto seemed suspicious. "Why would you help me?" he whispered.

"I..." The words wouldn't come out, and in that moment Hinata loathed her stutter and shyness with a passion. It had been improving, but around Naruto it mysteriously reverted back to its original deplorable state. Why couldn't she be articulate like everyone else? "Well, us Rookies have t-to work together, right?"

Naruto seemed tempted, but then he shook his head. "A ninja like me doesn't need to cheat!" He mouthed back, grinning.

Hinata blushed. "But... um..." She didn't know if she should point out that they were half an hour in and he had yet to answer a single question.

Then Ibiki asked the tenth question and Naruto, defying everyone's expectations, slammed down his hand on his desk and declared he'd never turn back, no matter what. That act alone dissipated the tension in the room and people leaned back in their chairs, nodding and smiling to themselves, their confidence restored by his own unshakable drive.

Hinata beamed, all frustrations forgotten. He was amazing; his light never faded, no matter the obstacles in his way. Maybe, if she kept trying and didn't give up, she too would be able to shine like that.

* * *

Ibiki had been told to refrain from acting before the enemy revealed themselves. He still overly emphasized the importance of information and false information in his speech at the end of the test. Partly because he was the head of T&amp;I and partly because he was fishing for a particular reaction. But either Anonymous wasn't in the room or - more likely - he was careful in controlling his expression.

"For example," he exposed, "you might let it leak that you'd be infiltrating an enemy base from point A, but actually enter from point B."

Some confusion due to the new tangent his explanation had taken.

"Or imagine the Chuunin we mixed in among you had been instructed to write down wrong answers," he continued. "You'd be pretty screwed then, hm? In many instances false information is more hurtful than no information at all. Be suspicious of unreliable sources."

Some people might be skeptical of Ibiki's ability to identify a spy just by their reaction to verbal jabs, but he knew what made people tick better than a Yamanaka and could read body language as accurately as a Hyuga. Picking up minute shifts in posture or expression was part of his job description. Of course, there were a hundred and fifty people in the room, making it a bit ambitious even for him to pick out a single one out of all of them.

Ibiki just carried on with the speech unperturbed. It had been a long shot anyway.

When the Genin left with Anko, he collected the exam sheets and handed them to one of his assistants. "Take them to the Cryptology team," he instructed.

Shikaku was the one who'd suggested to cross-check the candidates' handwriting with the one in Anonymous's mission request. At first Ibiki was annoyed for not having thought of that himself; then he was a bit skeptical that Anonymous would really have been so careless as to not modify his handwriting. But, it might actually work. If he, a Tokubetsu Jounin who dealt in information, hadn't thought of it, then maybe Anonymous hadn't either.

He approached the window Anko had crashed through and watched the candidates follow her to the Forest of Death. Without realizing it, he rolled one shoulder, then the other, as if warming up for a fight. _I guess we'll know soon enough whether that warning was real or not._

* * *

_A.N.2: Also, I need grammar help! When a singular noun (like Anonymous) ends with S, and you want to add 's at the end of it (to indicate possession), do you write Anonymous's or Anonymous' (as if it were plural)? Sorry if the question is stupid. English isn't my first language._


	29. Traitorous

_A.N.: I made a tally for the grammar question._

_If a singular proper noun ends in S (such as Anonymous as it was used last chapter, or Aris), is ownership indicated as Anonymous's or Anonymous'? _

_Anonymous's: 18_

_Anonymous': 40_

_Doesn't matter/don't know: 25_

_Because I'm a rebelz and p is greater than 0.05, I'm going to use Anonymous's._

_And also since it's been a while I'm guessing you might need a recap? Feel free to **skip** straight on to the story if you want._

_Aoi the semi-SI is the result of one of Orochimaru's experiments with dead souls. Many things have happened, including being recruited into Root, getting Shikaku as a sensei, and reinventing scientific theory, all the while trying to avoid getting tangled up in the mess that is canon. At this point in the story Aoi's curiosity has outweighed her cowardice and she intends to confront her 'father' in the Chunin exams, to solve the equation of her existence, fate, and the mysteries of the universe. A facet of her plan involved an alliance with the Konoha rookies. Another facet involved warning the Hokage of Orochimaru's arrival through a funky mission request, because she takes her survival very seriously. Also she figures that intervening in the events in the Forest of Death will shoot canon from that point on straight to hell, which kinda makes it her last gambit to find out the truth before she loses the advantage of foreknowledge. _

_I'm not happy about this one. Not at all. But I figured it wasn't gonna get any better by continuing to sit there for longer. And now I'm hiding before you start throwing the tomatoes._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Twenty-Nine

_**[traitorous**: not true in one's allegiance to someone or something; disloyal.]_

* * *

As soon as he realized what kind of test the second phase would be, Shikamaru's slouch straightened a fraction. Normally he'd be depressed. His team was probably the weakest in the exam in terms of combat ability, and this kind of setting worked against them. But it would be very easy to pass if two teams just joined up and picked off everyone else one by one - they'd tear through the forest like a knife through hot butter.

He shuffled over to Aoi as soon as he received his team's heaven scroll. "Are we doing this together?"

She nodded. "We'll join up with you as soon as it starts. What gate have you been assigned?"

"22."

"Wait for us there," she instructed. She seemed to consider before adding something else. "And watch out for the green and yellow birds, there are lots of them in that area. They give away your position by screeching when you get close."

Shikamaru wondered how she could possibly know that. Or where gate 22 was. The gates weren't numbered in order.

They followed the Chunin examiner to their assigned gate and stepped inside the training ground when he told them to. "Good luck. You'll need it," he snickered. There was a clang as he shut the gate behind them and padlocked it, cutting off any chance they had of turning back.

Shikamaru looked at the dark forest in front of him unenthusiastically. Chouji's face was just as distressed. "I think the first priority is to secure a food source," he proposed.

"Everything's about food with you," Ino complained. "Let's go after Forehead's team. The quicker we get a scroll the quicker we'll be out of this creepy forest." She looked around and shivered.

They bickered for a while before turning to him. Somehow, in the few months since graduation, Ino and Chouji had started deferring to him for the important decisions. He supposed they'd listened to him before graduation, as well; only it had never been as obvious as when they started following his instructions in battle without hesitation, or, like now, when they waited for him to decide on a course of action. "I told another team our position," he said.

"What?" Ino screeched. "Idiot! Why would you do that? We're dead meat!" She looked around fearfully.

"She's a friend," he explained. "She offered to work together. But we don't have to if you guys don't want to. We could set up an ambush instead and steal their scroll."

Chouji had gotten out a bag of chips from his backpack (they had more priority than kunai on his list of things to take to an exam) and was happily munching on a crispy flake. "They offered to help us, right? That wouldn't be very nice."

Ino stared at Shikamaru for a second, understanding the deeper implications of his proposal better than the friendlier (and more naïve) Akimichi. Her shoulders sagged. "Yeah, let's just ally with them." Ultimately, he thought, the three of them were cowards. It was much easier to say they had failed an exam because they had been betrayed by supposed allies, than they had failed after trying to ambush their allies. Ino-Shika-Cho simply didn't have the guts.

While they waited for Aoi, Shikamaru passed the time plucking grass out from under his feet and tearing it into tiny pieces. Ino was visibly jumpy and nervous, while Chouji seemed oblivious to the danger they were in, lamenting his lack of another bag of chips when he finished the first.

It only took a few minutes for Aoi Momoru and her team to appear on one of the tree branches high up. "Hi," the blonde boy with the long red coat said. "Nice to meet you." He leaned against the trunk, perfectly at ease. Aoi herself sat with her legs dangling from the branch, while the short one scowled down at them, arms crossed. Shikamaru stared - he'd been ready to wait for at least an hour. This forest was huge. Even if they had been allocated the adjacent gate, they couldn't have navigated their way around in unfamiliar territory in such a short time.

"Hello," Chouji greeted.

Ino plastered a smile on her face. "Hi. Nice to meet you too."

"Who's our first target?" Shikamaru asked once the introductions were out of the way.

"I was thinking the Grass nin," Aoi proposed. "They seemed strong."

Ino frowned. "Why would we go after them, then?"

"She wants to take out as many strong teams as we can now, when there's a lot of us working together," Shikamaru explained, seeing Aoi's logic. "That way all that will be left after this phase will be weak teams." After some hesitation, he nodded his agreement. "Makes sense. But how are we going to find them?"

Aoi tilted her head a fraction. A few seconds later another person broke running into the clearing. "Aoi-chan!" Hinata Hyuga called, smiling. "We got one!" She held up two scrolls, one heaven, one earth, obviously pleased.

* * *

_A few hours earlier_

"What's the range of your Byakugan, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed. "U-um, about one kilometer, but sometimes I can stretch it further if I narrow the direction." She knew that it was quite impressive. Neji's Byakugan didn't even reach a fifth of her range. Of course, his was much more precise than hers. "Um..."

Aoi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So you'd be able to see about a tenth of the perimeter of the forest when you go in... Assuming twenty teams make it to the second phase, at least one of them must be inside your range from the very start."

"Um, Aoi-chan..."

"The fastest way for you to get a scroll would be to lure them to one of the dang-"

"Aoi-chan!" Hinata blurted. "I, uh, Kiba, Shino and I already have a plan. I appreciate the help you have given us, but I feel we can manage this much by ourselves..."

Aoi blinked, absorbing her words. Hinata waited with bated breath. She had a strong team, with their own set of skills, and they were ready for the exam. But would Aoi see that? She _said_ she had faith in Hinata... But in their relationship it was Aoi who gave the instructions, and Hinata rarely showed initiative of her own. When she did, Aoi always seemed surprised.

"I think it would be better if you listened to my idea," the older Genin pressed.

Hinata shook her head silently, her stomach sinking in disappointment. She knew that Aoi really just wanted to help. But it felt like Aoi thought Hinata could only accomplish something if she was led by thehand. Maybe the older Genin behaved that way towards everyone - it was certainly more subtle than Hiashi, perhaps Aoi even did it unconsciously, but it felt like she didn't trust her to stand up on her own. And yet Hinata was a ninja too. Her days of relying on others to walk her through her problems were over.

Aoi must have seen it in her eyes because she nodded hesitantly, then more firmly. "I suppose you're the tracking experts, you would know." The younger girl relaxed, and the dreadful weight lifted. She hadn't wanted to fight her friend on this. An amused smile pulled at the corner of Aoi's lips, dissipating the remaining tension. "Maybe you could track me down after you have your scroll. Who knows? Perhaps _I_ might need _your_ help."

* * *

Shikamaru stared in disbelief.

"Wha-but how?" Ino spluttered, echoing his thoughts.

"We set a trap with the leeches," Hinata answered, though she was still looking at Aoi expectantly. "It worked perfectly!"

Aoi smiled. "I never doubted you." It caused the Hyuga hair to blush and look down, pleased.

"S-so I came to help you get your scroll, like you said."

"Thanks."

Behind Hinata, Shino and Kiba arrived, the latter obviously angry. "Hinata! Don't show the scrolls like that!" He snatched them from her hands and stuffed them in his clothes.

Shino pushed up his glasses. "Yes, that was unwise, Hinata-chan. Why? Because they're the enemy."

"B-but..." she trailed off, dejected.

In the end, Team Eight agreed to help them find the Grass nin before they set off for the tower. Which didn't really take them that long; with a Byakugan, kikaichu, and a dog's sense of smell they located their targets easily enough. Shikamaru was content to follow along behind Aoi and Hinata - they apparently knew shortcuts and skirted around dangers without hesitation, demonstrating a knowledge in the layout of the forest that really couldn't have been acquired if they hadn't been here before.

"You cheated," Shikamaru accused as they switched directions to avoid a red plant.

Aoi looked back. "Yup." Her lips popped on the p sound. "Problem?"

He shrugged. At least now he had an explanation of how Hinata's team had gotten another scroll so soon. Knowledge of the terrain was a always a valuable advantage, but especially so in this setting.

"We're almost there," Hinata announced. The veins around her eyes bulged as she focused her vision even further ahead. "Wait..."

Kiba realized it at the same time. "I can smell Naruto! What's he doing here?"

Quite suddenly a shockwave of wind blasted from a point in front of them and knocked Shikamaru off his branch.

He twisted in mid air and grabbed onto a lower branch with his feet. But his chakra didn't grip it fast enough and he slipped, resuming his fall towards the ground. _I'm gonna break something_, he thought dully as it rushed up to meet him. From this height, the techniques for safe landing they'd been taught at the Academy wouldn't amount to squat. He bent his body so he fell feet first, and channeled a significant part of his chakra into his legs, strengthening tendons and joints; the impact when he hit the ground created a small crater around him. Being right-footed, he reflexively favored that leg in the landing, and the minute imbalance was multiplied by several magnitudes due to the increased height of the fall and the vast amounts of chakra in his legs and snapped his left femur into four different pieces.

For a moment his brain was something like,_ Fuck this fucking hurts ow ow ow. Fuck._

When the initial wave of pain receded, he straightened to look at what, exactly, could have created a wind strong enough to bend trees back. He knew he had at most ten minutes before the adrenalin would no longer be enough to keep him going through a broken leg, and he had to decide soon whether he would spend them fighting or fleeing. Unfortunately, dust and smoke obscured his view.

"Ino, Chouji, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Chouji's voice came from above him. The extra weight had allowed him to resist the blast. He was the only one of the party that had managed to remain up in the tree.

"Ino? Where are you, Ino?"

"Grmphlphb," Ino grumbled off to his left. Shikamaru limped towards the sound, to find her face down on the ground, covered in cuts. Her usually glossy ponytail was tangled with leaves and sticks and there was blood dribbling from her chin.

At least she was conscious. Shikamaru straightened her to a seated position, but Ino seemed uninterested in him. She swallowed dryly and pointed. "Look."

He turned his head. "A boulder?"

"No, baka, next to it. Look."

"Oh." As the dust dispersed it revealed two of the Grass ninja they'd been looking for standing besides the boulder, just staring at them. They were both bald. One was completely expressionless, while the other wore a leather mask that Ino would find insulting, but she was too busy trying to get back on her feet to notice.

"Ah. Just little Genin," the one without the mask said, sounding deeply disappointed.

They seemed powerful and bloodthirsty. Shikamaru subtly shifted his weight, trying out his leg, and winced in pain. He swept the forest with his gaze, but didn't spot anyone from Aoi's team or Hinata's team, the shockwave having blown them apart.

It was a crappy situation.

"We'll give you our scroll if you leave us alone," he proposed. Ino made a protesting sound but Shikamaru ignored it.

The Grass nin's expression didn't change at all. "I would take it, really, but we have to kill you." He stated it in the same droll, depressing and unenthusiastic way one would say "I could only afford a protein bar for breakfast today." In contrast, Maskman started giggling hysterically and clapping his hands to the rhythm of a children's song.

Creepy. Very creepy.

"Are you sure?" He rummaged in his pockets and produced the scroll, watching them carefully. It was vital that their eyes remained on him, so they wouldn't notice the slightly darker patch of shadow moving in the bigger shadows of the trees. "You'd save yourselves a lot of trouble."

Almost there.

Droll, Depressed and Unenthusiastic sighed, disheartened.

Shikamaru launched his shadow over the final stretch of ground to grip theirs and... Missed.

_Huh?_ He thought as they jumped away. _Did I miscalculate the distance?_

The standstill was broken when Chouji landed next to him, along with Aoi and her team. "Shika!" Shikamaru felt a huge relief. It was nice to have numerical superiority. "I found them and brought them to help."

"Are you alright?" Aoi asked. "That blast was something. Do you have any injuries?"

He grimaced. "My leg's broken. But I think Ino needs help more." She was still lying on the ground, having given up trying to stand. "Where's Team Eight?"

Aoi crouched and placed her hand on his bad knee, immediately going into medic-mode.

"There was a huge snake chasing Naruto. They're helping him deal with it," Aris answered.

Aoi frowned at his leg. "Listen, I'd need a long time to heal it properly, but for now I can numb the pain so you can fight through it. Okay?"

He nodded. "Please tend to Ino too." The two Grass nin had retreated upon the arrival of Aoi's team. Maskman was still laughing and clapping, while Dull just stared on indifferently. "Where's the third one?" Already he could feel an unpleasant sensation of pins and needles climb over his leg but it was much better than the pain of a thrice-broken bone.

"Ahead, fighting Sasuke and Sakura," she informed, moving onto Ino. "I'll join up with them as soon as I'm done with Ino, if you don't mind. I have a bad feeling."

Daichi nodded. "Don't worry, Aoi. The five of us will be more than enough to deal with these two clowns."

Shikamaru sure hoped so. Any plan he came up with wouldn't be perfect - because he had limited knowledge on the abilities of Aoi's teammates, and he had no clue what their enemies were capable of. Aris and Daichi seemed like taijutsu types, but at least Aris was wounded, his left arm moving in an unnaturally jerky manner.

In the distance someone screamed. It sounded like Sakura.

"I think I'd better hurry," Aoi announced, as Ino mumbled her thanks. "Good luck."

Shikamaru was too focused on the upcoming battle to pay her any mind.

"Shikaku's son, right?" Aris asked, jumping slightly on the balls of his feet.

He nodded.

"Then hang back and watch. Daichi, pincer." They took off, each holding a kunai.

"Kind of arrogant, aren't they?" Ino complained, having finally succeeded in standing up. Her external injuries hadn't really been healed but at least she didn't bleed from the mouth anymore, and looked steady on her feet. "I mean, I get that we're rookies. But if they just want us to hang back, why did they ask to work together in the first place?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "He didn't mean it in that way." He watched as they reached the Grass nin and... missed. By miles. Too much for it to be a coincidence.

"Then how did he mean it?"

"They're forcing the enemy to reveal their abilities, giving me a chance to come up with a strategy - what the hell?"

Something had fallen right in front of his feet. It was one of the green and yellow birds Aoi had described. Shikamaru gave it a kick; dead. He got out a throwing star from his thigh hostler and chucked it at a random tree. It went wide, striking the tree next to the one he'd been aiming for.

Meanwhile, Aris and Daichi seemed to be missing every single punch and kick, even though the Grass nin weren't doing much to evade them. "We can't even hit him!" Dachi cried as he swung at empty air.

Ino made a seal. "I'll get him with the Mind-Body switch."

"Don't!" Shikamaru warned. "You'll miss, and then it'll take too long for you to get back to your body."

"They're not even moving," she argued. "I won't miss."

"You will," Shikamaru insisted, extracting another kunai. "I think we're all trapped in a genjutsu of some kind. Our depth perception and timing are all wrong." He made a cut in his own hand, but not much changed. He didn't get the usual feeling of being slapped in the face that accompanied the dispelling of a genjutsu. He chucked the kunai at a tree again, but still missed.

Maskman finally seemed to get tired of the game and with a single kick catapulted Daichi into Aris, blowing them both back to where Shikamaru and the others stood. Aris quickly got back to his feet. "We miss everything. It's some kind of genjutsu. Any ideas?"

Shikamaru didn't have many. He was probably the closest their group had to a genjutsu-type thanks to his usage of Yin chakra, and if he couldn't get out of a genjutsu, he doubted anyone else could. It must be incredibly subtle anyway, for it not to be dispelled with pain.

Maskman giggled some more, amused.

"Yes, a genjutsu," the other one said. "But you're missing one thing." The wind changed direction, and Dull started walking along the edge of the clearing to match it. Shikamaru frowned, something tickling at his mind, but was soon distracted by what Dull was saying, the droll, monotonous voice capturing his attention in an almost hypnotic way. "It doesn't only affect your senses. The longer you're subjected to it, the worse it'll get. First, your balance." Suddenly Shikamaru found himself falling sideways. He barely managed to catch onto a bush next to him and hold himself upright. "Nausea," the Grass nin continued. Besides Shikamaru, Chouji doubled over and emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground - basically consisting of the potato chips and a hot dog he'd eaten earlier. "Eventually, you'll just fall unconscious," he finished. "I'd say you have a couple of minutes left, at most."

The world started tipping and rocking around Shikamaru, as if he were standing on a ship during a particularly bad storm. He clasped his hands over his ears but the nauseating sensation kept getting worse. _This can't be right, _he thought_. A genjutsu this powerful would have to be targeted to each specific individual, not an area of effect, that would be impossible to control. And yet clearly it's an area of effect type, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get all of us. _

Daichi fell to his knees first, making a last attempt to chuck a misaimed kunai before losing consciousness. Aris was quick to follow.

Shikamaru's eyes fixed on the dead bird that had fallen earlier, anchoring to it like a magnet. _Regardless of how he's doing it, a bird __shouldn't be affected by genjutsu._

"Kai!" Ino tried, but from the way she toppled to the ground a few moments later, Shikamaru assumed she wasn't successful.

_Come on, think! You can figure this out! If not genjutsu, then what? Why can his partner withstand it?_

Shikamaru's eyes met with Dull's across the clearing. Perhaps he imagined it, but there was a flicker of sympathy there. "Don't blame yourself. You never had a chance against us."

Chouji fainted. A few seconds later,_ S_hikamaru stumbled over his feet and fell face-first to the ground.

"They didn't even last one minute," Maskman giggled, his speech intercalated with unintelligible gurgles.

Dull sighed. "Go and finish them off."

Maskman made a deep questioning sound.

"Because I don't like killing children," Dull answered.

Maskman shrugged and approached the fallen figures on the ground, kunai in hand. He bent down over Shikamaru, and suddenly froze. "What's wrong?" his partner asked.

Maskman made a strangled noise, straightening as Shikamaru got up, as well. The boy had tears in his eyes and was covering his nose and mouth with the collar of his jacket. He stumbled a bit, and Maskman mirrored the motion. Finally he managed to reach out his other hand, grab the mask his opponent was wearing and pull it off, revealing surprisingly feminine features. Maskman reached out too, but as there was nothing to grab his hand came back empty. Shikamaru stuck the hideous mask on his own face.

He took a deep breath through it, filling his lungs, and immediately felt his head getting clearer.

"So you did figure it out," Dull drawled. He seemed surprised.

The Genin slipped his hands in his pockets. "Animals shouldn't be affected by genjutsu," he said, and nodded to the fallen bird at his feet. On cue, there was a series of pops as more dead birds rained down from the trees and hit the earth. "And I've never heard of a genjutsu that pain couldn't disrupt even slightly. Plus, you moved so you were upwind of us, and your teammate had a mask. It had to be poison gas. I'm assuming you dispersed it with the initial explosion."

"So you held your breath and pretended to faint. Not bad."

"You must be immune to it, but your partner isn't." Shikamaru continued taking deep breaths, forcing Maskman to do the same. Without the protective mask, it wasn't long before the Grass nin's eyes rolled back in his head, the poison in his system knocking him out just as it had Shikamaru's friends.

"Looks like it's just the two of us now," the Nara said, breaking off his shadow from Maskman's, who fell to the ground in a boneless heap.

Dull gave him a flat stare. "Indeed."

_So much for numerical superiority._

* * *

Kiba stared in horror at the humongous snake chasing Naruto. "How are we supposed to kill that thing? Where did it even come from?"

The three of them stood at a safe distance, watching Naruto's attempts at running away from the snake.

Hinata pursed her lips. He had a point. Even the giant spiders she'd fought with Aoi hadn't been that big. And the reptile's hard scales protected it from the kunai or punches that Naruto occasionally threw at it, allowing it to shrug them off like mosquito bites.

Naruto dived to the side as the snake lunged at him, and it smashed into a tree instead, blowing off a significant chunk of it. "Watch out!" Hinata, Kiba and Shino jumped away as the tree shook dangerously and toppled towards them in a mess of vines and leaves. Birds flew, and the tree smashed into the ground, bouncing once and lifting up a cloud of dust before finally settling.

"When you're done staring, I could use some help over here!" Naruto's far-off voice cried.

"We're coming, Naruto-kun!" Hinata replied, forgetting her reservations and jumping straight into the path of the snake. It was like facing a giant bulldozer with very sharp fangs. She promptly turned and ran, following Naruto. "Wait for meeeeee!"

"No way!" He put on a burst of speed instead.

"What a pair of idiots," Shino commented. He glanced at the fallen tree. "I have an idea. Hinata, Naruto, try to make it strike a tree again."

"What?" they both shouted.

"Make it hit a tree, dead-last!" Kiba repeated.

"Hey, dogboy, you try coming over here and - woah!" Naruto ducked and by pure chance, the snake's head smashed into another tree, like Shino had intended. But this one was thicker and didn't fall immediately. "Now what!"

"I'll move the snake into position. You three strike the tree at the same time to make it fall towards us."

"But, Shino - " Kiba protested.

"No objections." A swarm of kikaichu emerged from his sleeves and crowded around the head of the snake, covering its eyes and obscuring its vision. Shino knew snakes had other, better ways of sensing prey; by the body heat they emitted, for example. While the snake's sudden lack of vision didn't greatly handicap it, the bugs swarming around its head did annoy it, and it swerved towards Shino, intent on taking out the irritating human. "That's right, come at me," he breathed, positioning himself in the area he calculated the tree would fall. "Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, now!"

A gentle-fist strike, a rotating ball of Kiba and Akamaru, and a head-butt from Naruto, (what the hell was the dead-last thinking?) hit the trunk at the same time. It started falling, but it was too fast. _At this rate, the tree will reach me before the snake does._ Shino moved forwards, trying to shorten the distance between them while keeping in line with the falling tree. He looked up, then back at the snake, at the jaw opening so wide and the gleaming white fangs the size of his arm.

Shino shut his eyes briefly.

_This is disappointing._

He heard a disbelieving cry of "Shino!" before the snake's mouth closed around him, just as the tree crushed them both.

Then all was darkness.

* * *

Hinata squeezed out chakra to activate the Byakugan. Her family's doujutsu, unlike the Sharingan, was not terribly chakra-intensive and could be kept active for fairly long periods of time; but between the written test and tracking down the Grass nin it had been switched on almost permanently since the start of the exam, to the point that her eyes were starting to hurt and there was a familiar strain in her coils indicating she was running low. But not empty yet, so she focused on the carcass of the snake, a tight ball lodged in her throat. The tree had landed right in the middle of its body, crushing it into two halves.

Shino's chakra was never as vibrant as anyone else's, always in a state of semi-depletion due to his bugs feeding on it, but the kikaichu themselves were easy enough to detect, and she zoomed in on his body inside the mouth of the snake. His heart was beating, which was good, but the insects were oddly agitated and it put her on edge. "Come on, s-spit him out!" she cried to the dead reptile trying to force its mouth open with her hands.

Naruto joined her, his eyes changing to furious red for a second before turning back to a scared, glassy blue. "Shino!" his voice sounded feral but no one really noticed. Kiba too started pushing the snake's upper lip upwards, trying to get it to open.

There was movement inside the mouth and Shino emerged, dragging himself out through the tiny gap they had created. There was a piece of fang sticking out of his shoulder; as soon as he found his footing, he tore it off, and blood mixed with a black liquid started oozing out, before the wound was completely covered by insects. "I am fine," he declared.

Hinata's eyes teared up.

"I am fine, my allies will take care of it," he repeated, straightening slightly and putting his hands in his pockets to emphasize his point.

Hinata wasn't that great at reading people but Shino was easy, because even when his reaction gave nothing away, his bugs' did. They swarmed chaotically, trying to close up the wound and cleanse the poison but their movements were erratic and disorganized. He was not fine.

"We should find the others," he suggested, and his calm voice dissipated some of her doubts, but not all.

"R-right," she agreed, wincing as she activated the Byakugan again. Her eyes felt dry and they itched, as if she'd been standing in a desert with wind and sand whipping her face for too long. If Shino needed help, finding Aoi was the first priority, since she was the only medic. She swept the landscape, the mandatory changes in focus turning the sensation in her eyes from mere discomfort to true pain but she grit her teeth and kept going.

Before she found Aoi, she saw something that made her gut clench. "Ino, Chouji and Daichi-kun and Aris-kun have fainted," she said shakily. "Shikamaru's fighting alone and he's... h-he's losing."

Shino pushed up his glasses with his good hand. "Let's go."

"B-but... W-we should find Aoi... Your shoulder..."

"I'll be fine," he repeated for a third time.

Shikamaru was drenched in his own blood and barely standing upright, shuriken sticking out from various places in his body. There was some smashed material on his face that may have once been a mask. The top of his left ear was torn off and bleeding profusely, the blood mixing with blood from other wounds. He looked almost dead already.

They got there just in time for Naruto to push him out of the way of a rain of senbon. Hinata had never seen him move so fast - she was near exhaustion, and so was Shino, despite his calm assurance otherwise, and Kiba, despite having not spent nearly as much chakra as either of them was short of breath too and didn't react in time. But Naruto, although he'd been through as much if not more than them since the start of the test, didn't show a hint of tiredness. He crossed the distance in a blink and managed to grab the back of Shikamaru's jacket in time to prevent him from becoming a human pincushion, before Hinata even registered the danger. She could practically feel the mix of fear, anxiousness and anger pouring out of him in waves, and for a second his eyes turned red again.

A moment later Kiba fell on Shikamaru's opponent with a snarl, digging elongated claws into his neck and ripping it out, killing him instantly.

He paled when he realised what he'd done, letting go and jumping away as if he'd been burned. Naruto didn't notice what Kiba had done since he was worried about Shikamru and the unconscious bodies of the other Genin, but Shino and Hinata did. They stared in shock at the corpse as it fell, the head barely attached by a thread of skin. She knew Kiba had killed before, a bandit in an escort mission, but she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. She looked away from the corpse, convincing herself that it had been necessary since the enemy was evidently quite powerful if he'd annihilated two nearly-whole teams and they probably wouldn't have been able to subdue him alive. Still, the uneasy feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away. When she looked up at Kiba he was staring between her and Shino, with something dark and scared in his eyes, as if he was afraid of what they would think of him now.

The scene was broken by Shikamaru choking out, "There's poison gas. Move upwind."

She grabbed Ino and did as he'd instructed, jumping a few branches to move out of the area. Then she went back to pick up Daichi, knees buckling a little under the weight but neither Shikamaru nor Shino were in any shape to be carrying anyone and Naruto and Kiba had their hands full with the other boys.

She applied some basic first-aid on Shikamaru, bandaging his wounds with supplies from Chouji's backpack while the Nara briefly explained what had happened. He'd somehow managed to avoid fatal hits, but one of his legs was broken and he'd lost a lot of blood. He had to stop to catch his breath a couple of times. Hinata was worried he'd faint at any moment. "They were closer to Jounin-level than to Genin," he said. "There's something going on, I think they've used the exam to infiltrate Konoha."

"Hey, so we stopped two Jounin and a giant snake," Kira joked, "I reckon that's enough for a promotion."

Shikamaru cracked a smile. "Yeah. And I still have my scroll." He made a show of patting his leg. Then he froze. "It's not here."

_Aoi frowned at his leg. "Listen, I'd need a long time to heal it properly, but for now I can numb the pain so you can fight through it. Okay?"_

_He nodded. "Please tend to Ino too." The two Grass nin had retreated upon the arrival of Aoi's team. Maskman was still laughing and clapping, while Dull just stared on indifferently. "Where's the third one?" Already he could feel an unpleasant sensation of pins and needles climb over his leg but it was much better than the pain of a thrice-broken bone._

_What Shikamaru didn't feel was Aoi dipping her hand in his pant pocket and picking out his scroll, quickly making it disappear inside her own pocket._

"Maybe you dropped it?" Naruto suggested distractedly. He wanted to go find Sasuke and Sakura. He was very, very anxious, and the bad feeling in his gut kept growing, tying his stomach into a knot.

"No." Shikamaru's eyebrows scrunched into a frown. "That _bitch," _he breathed. "She took it."

"Who?" Hinata asked. She'd run out of bandages and there were still a couple of cuts left, so she reached inside the bag for Chouji's spare shirt and started tearing it to strips.

"Momoru." He coughed. "When she numbed my leg, she stole my scroll."

"Aoi wouldn't do that," Hinata protested.

"Kiba," Shikamaru barked. "Do you still have yours?"

The Inuzuka rummaged in his pockets and paled. "No." He rounded up on Hinata. "Shit! I told you we couldn't trust her! She'll be halfway to the tower by now!"

"There must be a-a-a reason!" Hinata cried, on the verge of tears.

"I'm going after her, and when I catch her, I'm gonna make her regret the day she was born!"

"Wait, Kiba!" But the Inuzuka was already up in the trees.

"I have to go too," Naruto said. "Thank you for your help, but I need to find Sakura and the bastard."

Shikamaru sagged, too tired to argue. It made no sense for Aoi to betray them, she couldn't pass the exam without her teammates anyway, and they were still here. But the fight with the Grass nin had been brutal, the blood loss was making him dizzier by the second, and he couldn't think well enough to figure it out. He was relatively safe now that Hinata and Shino were here, so Shikamaru let himself fall into unconsciousness.

Hinata noticed when Shikamaru went limp and lay him down on the grass so he could rest. "What do we do?" she asked Shino anxiously. She couldn't believe Aoi had stolen their scrolls, but Kiba had been wrong to run off like that, leaving her with so many unconscious or wounded people to take care of. And she barely had any chakra left! If a hostile team showed up now, they were doomed.

"Is there a safe area nearby?" Despite the dire situation Shino was ever so calm.

Hinata tried to remember the layout of the forest. "There's a cave, but it's too far away to c-carry everyone."

"I'll stay here with them, then." Shino nodded towards the bodies lying around, then plopped down on the ground. "You follow Kiba and bring him back. Why? to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

Hinata bit her lip, unable to decide. She couldn't leave Shino alone to watch over the wounded, not when he himself was injured. But what if something had happened to Aoi? What if Kiba ran into danger? She shot her teammate a glance. "I'll b-be right back, I promise!" Hinata activated her Byakugan and leapt away.

Only when she was well out of range did Shino allow himself a grimace and start peeling off his jacket to better examine his wound. With a wave of his hand he ordered away the kikaichu that had been covering it, attempting to clog it with their bodies, and immediately a new stream of blood poured out of it down his bare arm. For some reason, it wasn't coagulating. The kikaichu told him it was due to the poison, they were trying to drink it out, but it was toxic to them too. If he didn't find a way to clear it out fast, he was going to die of blood loss.

Shino sighed. This part of the test had been supposed to be _easy_.

* * *

_We'll find out what Aoi was up to next chapter. Be honest in your reviews. Was it confusing? Which parts did you like and which parts didn't you like?_


	30. Infallible

_A.N.: You lot are smart cookies, seriously, can't surprise you with anything._

_Also I apologize, this was supposed to be much longer but the ending just argh. I seem to have a problem with endings. Hence it's divided into Part One and Part Two._

_Many thanks to my betas especially MaleficentRace._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Thirty

_**[Infallible, Part One:** incapable of making mistakes or being wrong; always effective.]_

* * *

Hiruzen paced back and forth in front of one of the windows of the tower overlooking the Forest of Death. He wished he could use his crystal ball. It allowed him to track any individual whose chakra signature was imprinted on it, but only within Konoha's walls. Which meant that no, he was not able to track Orochimaru, or anyone in the Forest of Death, since the training ground had been built outside.

Behind him, ANBU Fox stood at attention, a radio transmitter clipped to his ear.

Normally Hiruzen would have arrived to the tower only at the last day of the test, to congratulate the Genin who had passed and inform them of the third phase. But given the circumstances he'd decided to be present from the beginning. The ANBU had protested when he'd declared he'd stay in the tower for the next five days; it was a security nightmare, while the place was crawling with foreign Jounin-sensei awaiting their students' arrival. Regardless, its location at the centre of the training ground meant he'd be able to reach any point in the forest that much faster, if Orochimaru really was here.

The civilian council accused him of shirking his Hokage duties, but Hiruzen genuinely didn't want to risk it. He'd learnt it was better to be safe than sorry. That forest was full of the next generation of Chunin, and Orochimaru would slaughter them all if left unchecked.

He suddenly stopped pacing and looked down, through the window.

A team was calmly walking to the tower entrance. He strained his eyes to recognize the Sand hitai-ate, and then realised it was the Kazekage's children.

"Fox, how long has it been since the start of the test?"

"97 minutes, sir."

That was... beyond impressive. And they didn't even look like they had a single scratch on them. "I want the Kazekage's children on surveillance level purple."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

He started pacing again.

He didn't know what to expect, honestly. What was Orochimaru's objective? The Kyubi? His daughter? What was Anonymous's objective? And were these unbelievably competent Sand siblings involved? Too many unknowns.

* * *

Aoi's head snapped towards the sound of branches being crushed and the high-pitched shriek of a reptile. She watched anxiously for a while, trying to discern what was happening through the leaves, but the forest was too thick and it was too far away for her to be able to see anything.

Hinata was never supposed to be in danger, but there had been no stopping her when she spotted that snake lunging at Naruto. Her team had followed, obviously.

_Aoi grabbed Kiba's shirt, pulling him close. "Remember what I said."_

_He strained against her grip. "I'm on it, if you'd let me go."_

It made Aoi nervous. She remembered Naruto killing the snake in the original exams. Now that Team Eight had interfered, she wasn't sure how the fight would turn out. If something happened to Hinata... No, it had to be fine; Naruto had originally fought it on his own, and now he actually had backup.

Troubled, she turned back to the scene in front of her, watching from the shadows as Sasuke did his very best to put as much distance between himself and Orochimaru as possible. The Sannin's body twisted around branches and tree trunks - he even turned into a snake at some point - following Sasuke around, making playful swipes at him every so often.

The boy was terrified. He was desperate to flee, blinded by fear and the need to get away from someone he intuitively knew he had no chances against. His eyes were red and spinning furiously, the Sharingan triggered by panic. From the outside it looked like a predator playing with his food while he still found it entertaining. It was only a matter of time before the predator got bored and moved in for the kill.

Sakura was rooted to the spot two branches below Aoi, watching Sasuke's frantic attempts at fleeing. Aoi considered for a second. No point having witnesses if she could avoid it. She silently dropped down behind her and knocked her head with the handle of a kunai, and Sakura went limp. Aoi caught her and held her upright, stealing a glance at Sasuke and her father. They'd moved a bit further down; both of them seemed too preoccupied or entertained to notice what she was doing.

Gently, she put Sakura down and checked that the blow to the head hadn't caused any serious damage, taking a dozen seconds to run her chakra through her brain, making sure she wouldn't wake up for a while. She tied her to the tree trunk with a piece of wire at an angle where the fighters wouldn't see her. Then she made three handseals - dog, boar, ram - turning into a perfect replica of the green-eyed, pink-haired girl, and jumped a few more branches to approach Sasuke.

He was pulling a stunt with shuriken, wire and a fireball that would have made Shikaku proud. The result was that the face Orochimaru was wearing, that of the grass-nin, had partially melted off; showing some of the monster underneath. In response the Sannin realeased a violent wave of killing intent that froze Sasuke in his tracks.

"Wait!" The Genin said after a few seconds of panic. "I'll give you the scroll. Please, take it and leave us."

"Sasuke, don't," Aoi snapped.

"I see, very smart..." Orochimaru drawled. "The only way for a prey to escape is to offer the predator a different meal."

"Take it!" Sasuke threw the scroll.

_Stupid brat._

Aoi flew in between Sasuke and her father and intercepted the scroll in midair. She landed on a branch in the middle of the two, facing the Sannin.

"Sakura, what-" Sasuke started.

"Don't be daft," Aoi interrupted, eyes still on Orochimaru. "You really think that would have worked? There's no guarantee he wouldn't kill you after he had the scroll."

"Indeed," her father agreed placidly, a flicker of interest sparking in his eyes as he appraised her.

She'd been fearing this moment for a long time. Aoi doubted many people who'd stood between Orochimaru and what he wanted had stood for very long, and all her instincts were screaming at her to get out of the line of fire. Thankfully she was prepared this time, and she'd been in the man's presence on enough occasions that the killing intent didn't lock her joints in place. "I want to talk to you," she said, much calmer than she felt.

So far, Orochimaru hadn't pulled the kind of chakra-intensive jutsu that would give his presence away, but she didn't know if Konoha forces had already started mobilizing. It was best to get the talking part done with quickly.

"I'm not interested, little girl. It's the Sharingan I want. Move aside."

Aoi remained firmly where she was, inwardly steeling herself. "The Sharingan? What for? Let me guess, something pathetic like learning all the jutsu in existence."

Sasuke gaped at her, mouth slowly opening in shock.

The killing intent in the air thickened until she almost choked on it. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, and Aoi had a vision of her limbs slowly being ripped from her torso. She barely managed to hold on to her nonchalant act. "Oh come on. That approach is ridiculous."

The temperature, if possible, dropped even lower. "Ridiculous?" Orochimaru repeated, dangerously calm. "Don't presume to understand the extent of my ambition."

_Next time, I'll think of a plan that doesn't involve antagonizing legendary criminals,_ Aoi swore to herself. "Jutsu are constantly being modified and new ones are invented. Even if it was possible to copy _everything_, you still won't know what's under the surface, causing the changes. Your knowledge will be doomed to constant updates to keep up."

At his menacing shift she put her hands up defensively, trying to appear harmless. "True knowledge requires more than just understanding jutsu. You need to dive deeper; understand the moving force behind it, the underlying cause."

"Which is?" Orochimaru demanded icily, some curiosity winning out over his impatience.

"Chakra itself. It is much more worthy of study than the jutsu derived from it. If you can find the rules that command chakra, you will not have to keep up with new jutsu. You will _direct_ them."

There was a slight pause in his body language - she'd surprised him. It was probably why, instead of trying to kill her immediately, he gave her another warning. "Move aside; I won't say it again."

She nodded slowly. "Let me say something to him."

He cocked his head to the side, amused. "Go ahead." He still didn't view the little pink-haired girl as a threat; he didn't think she could really do anything to help Sasuke flee, or protect him at this point. Arrogance was one of Orochimaru's greatest flaws. He tended to underestimate his opponents... which was fine by her, really. It only made her job easier.

She jumped down next to Sasuke and made as if to give him back his scroll. He seemed confused, and wary of her, already suspecting she was not Sakura. "Password," he whispered.

Aoi stared back at him blankly. "Now is not the time. Take the scroll." He didn't reach for it, so she quickly grabbed his arm and sent a potent wave of paralyzing chakra into his body. Sasuke's eyes widened. "You-" She put the scroll back in her pocket, and when her hand came out she was holding a kunai. She hit him with it, knocking him out as she had Sakura earlier.

Orochimaru watched the scene unfold with interest. "Why would you do that?"

Aoi put Sasuke down on the branch and turned around. Instead of answering, she made a half-tiger seal and dispelled the transformation.

Her eyes were serious, her mouth set in a grim line. For a moment all that could be heard were the leaves rustling in the wind.

Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed. "Ah, I thought so. I was wondering what you were planning, Aoi-san."

She slipped her hands in her pockets, keeping her eyes fixed on her father, yellow against the same shade of yellow. "As I've said, I want to talk to you. I have a question."

"And as I have said, I'm in the middle of something." He eyed the limp body at her feet. "Though it is interesting, your theory, even if you are mistaken."

"I'm not. Observing and reproducing jutsu is not enough. To truly master them you must understand the mechanisms that drive them."

Orochimaru cocked his head, considering her for a long moment. "You know, Aoi-san... I find myself missing a competent assistant since you captured the last one. I don't suppose you want the position?"

Aoi hadn't been expecting the offer though perhaps she should have; it made quite a bit of sense. Orochimaru would be looking for a good med-nin to replace Kabuto. She opened her mouth to refuse, then closed it. The voice in her head that she now pegged as her survival instinct argued that working for Orochimaru would give her more opportunities to discover what he had done to her, and plus it really was the best way to be safe from him, as he would see less reasons to harm her if she was explicitly on his side.

It was immediately beaten down by a second voice sounding suspiciously like Hana asking if she really was willing to relinquish her freedom and sever her few ties to Konoha to follow such a man. No. Joining Orochimaru simply wasn't on the table. And she wouldn't be any safer really, if the way he treated his previous experimental subjects was any indication. "First you have to answer my question. Why did you do it?"

"Be more specific," he requested, lifting an eyebrow. "There are many reasons why I do a lot of things."

"Why did you create me? What caused you to try to stick a dead soul-" she grimaced slightly at the word _soul,_ "into an unborn baby?"

_What happened, Orochimaru, for your actions to diverge so drastically from what they should have been? What altered the course of this universe?_

Whether because he hoped she would join him if he answered, or because he was in a good mood, Orochimaru indulged her. "You were an experiment, just to see if such a thing was possible. I observed you through infancy and determined that I had been successful," he explained, then he leaned forwards, as if he was telling her a secret. "And then I switched bodies myself."

Aoi just blinked, waiting for him to continue.

Orochimaru seemed a bit put out, as if he'd been hoping for a bigger reaction. He obviously liked boasting. Maybe his usual entourage of minions didn't appreciate his genius enough. "After my first successful transfer I lost interest in you, since you had fulfilled your purpose as a... prototype. Then, a problem arose. You see, the host bodies I inhabit don't accommodate my soul very well, and reject it after some time, forcing me to switch again. It's quite frustrating." He shrugged one shoulder as if to take away the importance of his statement. "You, on the other hand, have inhabited the same host body for fourteen years and don't seem to have that problem. Your soul has melded with it seamlessly."

Hm. Yes, it was intriguing, from a purely scientific point of view, she'd grant him that. "My body was a fetus," she couldn't help but point out. "You're transferring into mature bodies."

He nodded. "I have considered that. But I have reason to believe the cause doesn't lie in the age of the body."

Aoi frowned. "What else could it be?"

"If it's not the body, then it must be the soul..." He trailed off and smiled at her sharply. "We would find the answer if you agreed to work with me."

"Did you target my soul specifically?"

"No."

Argh. So frustrating! Did that mean her soul had been pulled in at random? Could this have happened to literally anyone from her universe, and the fact that it had been her was only due to chance? It was her turn to lean forwards intently. "Something pushed you to make that experiment. What was it?"

"Why are you so insistent? It doesn't matter." He finally seemed to get bored of the conversation. "This has been entertaining, but I'm afraid I've wasted enough time. I'll come back for you on another occasion." His eyes slid to Sasuke, and he made a hand seal in front of his chest. "A pity I couldn't play with him for a bit longer." His neck suddenly elongated and his head flew towards the boy, mouth open and revealing fangs.

She pulled Sasuke away before her father sank his teeth in his neck. He bit down on the branch instead, crushing wood with his much-too-sharp canines.

"Wrong choice," Orochimaru hissed, turning in her direction.

This point, Aoi knew, was critical. While the Curse Mark wasn't the only factor in Sasuke's decision to leave the village, it did play an important part. If she could stop it from happening, then the whole story would be knocked completely off-track.

She hadn't been sure about this part of the plan, honestly. Purposefully crossing Orochimaru's path was dangerous and probably lethal. But if she was going to interfere, she might as well do it properly.

She reached into her pockets and withdrew the five scrolls she'd acquired, two of them gripped in one hand, three in the other. One was her own team's, one was Shikamaru's, stolen from his pocket when she numbed his leg, the third and fourth were Kiba's, when she'd made as if to stop him from following Hinata; and the last was the one she'd grabbed from Sasuke.

Aoi threw the five scrolls into the air, unrolling them in the process, and jumped away as a cloud of smoke burst from them. The smoke dissipated, revealing five shapes.

She'd expected Chunin like Iruka or maybe Jounin if she was lucky. Enough to distract Orochimaru while reinforcements arrived, or let her get away, at least. She didn't expect ANBU, clad in full battle gear. Clearly the Hokage had taken her warning letter seriously if he had involved the Black Ops in the exam.

They scanned the scene in less than a hearbeat, then turned to face Orochimaru.

The Sannin hissed with something bordering on hate, remembering his last encounter with the shadow division. He shot Aoi a deadly look. "You will regret this, _sweetheart_."

"You're the one who fell for the same trick twice."

* * *

A red signal flare went up in the north-western sector. Hiruzen closed his mouth grimly. There it was, the thing he'd been expecting but hoping wouldn't actually happen. A familiar, foul chakra spread over the forest as Orochimaru gave up the pretense of concealing himself. "Implement martial law. The exam is cancelled." The Hokage's joints creaked in protest as he vaulted over the window, just as the sound of explosions reached his ears.

* * *

For a moment there was stillness, and then four of the ANBU dashed towards Orochimaru, while the last raced through handseals for a jutsu that sent a red flaring light upwards through the branches of the trees. The flare broke the tree cover and sailed vertically through the sky like a rocket, signalling their position. "Take Sasuke Uchiha and get out of here," the same ANBU instructed Aoi. He had a cat mask just like one of the ANBU that had fought Orochimaru the first time around, and Aoi wondered if it was the same person.

Orochimaru heard Cat's words and with a cry of rage he lunged at Sasuke, but his advance was interrupted by wooden beams sprouting from Cat's hands and barring his way. As he turned to face the new threat, Aoi slung one of Sasuke's arms over her shoulders and sprung away. She'd only gone a couple of branches when an explosion boomed at her back. She didn't turn to look.

Tree-hopping with a dead weight hanging off her neck wasn't quite as comfortable or fast as doing it alone, and once she'd put some more branches between her and the fight, she stopped and struck Sasuke on the back of the head, sending some chakra into his brain to jolt him awake. It wasn't quite like waking up anesthesized animals, and it didn't work the first time. She had to do it twice more before she got a response. Finally Sasuke stirred and blinked. As soon as it looked like he could support his own weight, she let him go. "What happened?" he demanded, dazed. "Who are you?"

"An ally. There's a dangerous man after you," she informed. Maybe he had amnesia. She'd been careful not to cause injury, but you never knew with the brain. Another explosion behind them made Sasuke jump. "I suggest we move."

"Snake," he paled, nodded, and took off.

No memory loss then. That was good.

They ran madly, the sounds of fighting following them as Orochimaru tried to force his way through the ANBU to reach Sasuke. Sasuke himself seemed too intent on fleeing to remember anything else, until he stopped suddenly. "Where's Sakura?"

Aoi nearly rammed into him. "Safe. I think." As long as the fight hadn't blown up the tree she was tied to, or something. "Keep moving, don't just stand there like a moron."

Sasuke hesitated but in the end followed her deeper into the forest. He seemed to be regaining his senses because he stated, a few seconds later, "You're from that day at the Workshop. You know Kakashi-sensei."

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"The tower," she replied. She pulled up her mental map of Training ground 44, checking they were indeed taking the fastest route. "Take a lef-"

Something pierced her in the lower back and embedded itself into her flesh, making her slip and sending her toppling forwards. She hit the ground face first, rolling violently before coming to a shuddering stop.

Sasuke landed next to her. "Are you okay?"

"That," Orochimaru's voice pierced the air, the smooth tones barely concealing his anger, "was for interfering in my plans, Aoi-san. I only _just_ stopped myself from aiming for a vital area, you know."

The sounds of battle still weren't over, and Aoi wondered who the ANBU were fighting, if Orochimaru was here. She reflexively shot numbing chakra into the region of her back that had been hit and got up, her legs trembling slightly.

Orochimaru smiled, only it was more like a snarl.

"Fuck," she swore. She made the seals and sank underground. Just before disappearing bellow the surface, she grabbed Sasuke's ankle, pulling him down with her.

They sank quickly, the earth parting under Aoi's feet as she drilled her chakra into it, letting it reform over Sasuke's head. She was having more trouble than normal, what with the kunai sticking out of her back and having to stretch the jutsu around Sasuke as well. The modification to the jutsu had been instinctive: she'd purposefully overbalanced the last Ram sign and held it for half a second longer than normal so the air bubble around her head grew to incude him. But it was straining the limits of her control and she had to pour all her concentration on maintaining it, making it impossible for her to try to sense what was going on in the surface.

Sasuke wasn't helping either, trying to kick his foot free. Aoi decided she liked him better unconscious.

Eventually he got his clue and stopped fighting. They stayed in their little cocoon of air in silence, tens of meters underground with rock surrounding them from all sides. Aoi breathed shallowly so as to preserve for as long as possible their supply of air. Sweat ran down her temple as she strained to hold the jutsu and prevent them from being crushed.

A rumbling sound reached them, like thunder tearing apart a storm, growling from the pits of the earth itself. The rock around them started to vibrate, imperceptibly at first but the movement soon became shaking and rolling. The noise grew deafening as thousands of tons of earth and rock shook around them, crushing and grinding into each other. Aoi released more chakra, trying to keep their bubble intact, but soon the rock started pressing against their bodies with too much force to be comfortable.

_We're gonna get crushed_.

She shot up and grabbed Sasuke's upper arm as she sailed past him, pulling him up. There were a few seconds of panic while they traveled upwards and the earth lurched and compressed against them, its hold becoming tighter and tighter, until they finally burst through, gasping.

Orochimaru had sunk his hands into the earth and looked up when they emerged, eyes steely. The self-assured confidence he'd displayed at the beginning of the encounter had been replaced with a sharper, slightly unhinged expression, but it only made him seem more deadly. The whole area was a disaster zone, gigantic trees uprooted and huge fissures in the ground from the earthquake he had caused. He lifted his hands to flash through a series of seals too fast for Aoi to follow before slamming his palms down again. The earth lifted like a tidal wave, heading straight for them.

Aoi had never seen a jutsu that big. She didn't even think she had enough chakra in her coils to power something like that, and Orochimaru hadn't even broken a sweat.

The wave sent them both flying. She managed to twist around and land - horizontally - on a tree trunk, but Sasuke wasn't so fast and slammed into a rock instead. He didn't get up. Aoi chucked a kunai, which Orochimaru easily dodged; but then she threw a second one, manipulating it with wire so it twisted around. She made two seals and bright lightning sped towards her father, illuminating the forest with an eerie white glow for a moment.

Orochimaru without even making a single hand seal gestured with his arm and a blade of wind snapped the wire in half; Aoi ducked just in time to hear the same blade of wind whoosh above her head, missing her scalp by centimeters and cutting off a few strands of her hair. She straightened, panting.

She felt heat at her back and instinctively flinched, though the giant fireball hadn't been aimed at her and passed her harmlessly on her right. She glanced back; Sasuke was up again, though hunched over and clutching his side tightly. Orochimaru jumped and the fire exploded harmlessly behind him. There was a pause in the battle as he landed.

Suddenly Aoi understood why her father was feared to such an extent. He wasn't only one of the most intelligent, powerful and ambitious ninja in the world; he also possessed pure raw talent to go with his power. The ninjutsu exchange had made that clear - she didn't hold a candle to him in that area, she had trouble thinking of anyone who did - and if it continued he would overwhelm them in seconds.

She breathed in and her hands lit up faintly with medical chakra. It was dangerous, but close combat was her best chance. It was what she was good at, and she only really needed a lucky shot, just one touch over a vital organ.

One look at Orochimaru's narrowed eyes had her heart rate accelerating and her muscles locked in place. _Who am I kidding. He's going to slaughter me._

She charged at him.

The exchange was short and brutal. Orochimaru's body was ridiculously flexible, it was like he didn't have bones at all, and he dodged every single strike of her palms. But Aoi was also mobile, less static and predictable than traditional Gentle Fist taijutsu. She quickly switched to the Academy kata (albeit a faster, more advanced version) in an effort to throw him off-balance, and after a few moves switched back to Gentle Fist, managing to graze his ribs this time. _Not enough_. In trying to reach him she'd overextended and left herself open. Orochimaru punched her face so hard she went flying back and hit the ground with a thud. As she tried to get up the other blows he'd landed during their exchange made themselves known - a cracked radius from blocking a kick, a broken rib which had to her alarm pierced her liver and one of her kidneys was badly bruised. Also that kunai was still sticking out her back. She could numb it all and go in again but any more damage and she was going to die.

Where the hell were the ANBU?

As if summoned by her thoughts, the masked shinobi appeared in the clearing. Aoi exhaled, feeling a tremendous amount of relief, although there were only four of them, and Cat was wounded.

Whatever they'd been fighting had cost them, but at least she had a chance now.

Then two more agents appeared, both wearing bird masks, from the direction of the closest gate. And another two, from the direction of the tower at the center of the training ground. And behind them was the Hokage, dressed in the samurai-esque armor he'd worn in the original invasion instead of the usual hat and robes.

The Hokage? Aoi smiled.

The ray of hope transformed into firm certainty and satisfaction. This was it. She'd done it. The tension left her body in her next breath and she fell back on the ground, hand reaching behind her back for that kunai. She pulled it out without feeling a thing and started healing her very abused body. Orochimaru was surrounded, and he didn't have the Sound Four or Suna to back him up this time. It was done.

The Hokage barely spared her and Sasuke more than a sideways glance. "It's over, Orochimaru," he said. "You have nowhere left to go."

Orochimaru spun slowly once to take stock of the new arrivals, as if he had all the time in the world, his long black hair following the movement. "So it seems."

Then he summoned the King of Snakes, the Hokage summoned the King of Monkeys, and Aoi had to move again because all hell was going to break loose, but hey, mission accomplished.


	31. Infallible, part two

_Aha. Ha. Ha._

_Ha._

_Um yeah really sorry I'm so glad you're sticking with this. If any of you still are, that is._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Thirty-One

**Infallible, part two**

* * *

Even from a safe distance (relatively, because there was only so far they could run before reaching the edges of the Forest of Death) the battle was awe-inspiring. Orochimaru was at a huge disadvantage, but he was vicious all the same. The snake the size of a mountain probably also played a role in how he wasn't immediately captured.

At the beginning his objective was clearly escape, using clones and distractions. He made it all the way to the nearest gate, but the wards that had been erected for the Chunin exam were still in place; there was a ripple and shiver in the air when Orochimaru threw a giant wind drill at the invisible wall - but no sounds of it shattering. He had no choice but to turn around to face the Hokage and the ANBU.

Aoi inwardly laughed at the irony. In the original timeline Orochimaru had trapped the Hokage with a barrier team, now it was the other way around.

By this point the fight had reached such proportions that it was inevitable some of the Chunin candidates would get curious. Aoi and Sasuke remained in the outskirts, exchanging uncomfortable glances with Rain or Sand ninja drawn by the battle. For the most part everyone was too preoccupied with the massive displays of ninjutsu, and the giant snake, to start attacking each other, but nevertheless there was a thin layer of tension in the air.

She was vaguely aware of Kiba making his appearance at some point and after long minutes of gaping asking her in disbelief, "Is that the Hokage?"

She nodded. Orochimaru was spewing a torrent of water around him but one of the ANBU caught him square in the back with a flash of lightning, and he hit the ground hard. His face split in two as if a zipper was being pulled across it. He re-emerged, fully-clothed, covered in viscous liquid and unharmed.

_He never dies, does he. He's like a cockroach._

"Whatever!" Kiba roared, pulling his gaze away from the fight and grabbing the lapels of her jacket, bringing his face so close she could see the tiny hairs on his skin. At first Aoi thought his hands were covered in dirt. She almost ordered him to get them off her clothes, but then she noticed the flakey quality of it and realized it was dried blood, which made her mouth shut with an audible click.

He sneered, a low, feral growl on the back of his throat. On top of his head the little white dog he always carried around made an identical sound. "You stole our scrolls, traitor."

"In case you hadn't noticed the exam is sort of irrelevant now," she pointed out. The blood on his hands worried her, though she didn't want to admit it.

Kiba's hold tightened and he shook her a bit. "That doesn't erase the fact that you betrayed us." There was fury in his eyes. His eyes, Aoi noticed for the first time, were slanted, with a very big pupil, and the narrow ring of the iris cast off yellowish reflections. He looked dangerous, as if he was contemplating tearing her head away from her neck with his teeth. Aoi's body started coiling tighter and tighter.

"I did warn you, Inuzuka," a smooth voice interrupted.

Kiba and Aoi's heads swerved towards the person who had spoken. "Neji," Aoi breathed quietly. She hadn't seen him since the start of the exam. Neji's Byakugan was activated, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a satisfied smile on his face. Lee and Tenten stood behind him, neither one of them quite meeting her eyes.

Neji's smirk widened. "I told you she couldn't be trusted. She's selfish and manipulative. She almost killed me in the last mission we had together."

Oh, come on. He was still sore about that? It was ages ago.

"It was only a matter of time before you showed your true colors." He looked so pleased with himself in that moment, all smug superiority, the same expression he wore that time he pummeled her in taijutsu class.

Lee looked like he wanted to say something but for some reason Tenten grabbed his arm, stopping him. Sasuke watched the scene unfold with interest, his eyes flickering back and forth between Aoi, Neji and Kiba.

"You are a coward," the Hyuga finished, the word weighting heavy in the air like a death sentence. "A shame to the ninja ranks of Konoha."

Aoi's fists clenched for one second but then she sagged in Kiba's hold and looked away. This... could work. She didn't know what would happen in the aftermath of this exam but, it seemed prudent to keep the truth from the other Genin, at least for the moment.

"What? Nothing to say?"

She dismissed the question with a careless wave of her hand. "No, no. You're right."

The disdain on Neji's face was replaced by a small, puzzled frown.

Kiba released her, disgusted to even be touching her. Aoi tugged the collar of her jacket back in place and turned her back on the group. Orochimaru's snake was currently engaged in a fight with a moth-like creature about half its size that one of the ANBU had summoned. The moth struggled against the constricting rings of the snake's body and released a blue powder that made the snake instantly let go. It roared, a sound that one would have expected out of a dragon.

_I should go get Sakura. _Thanks to the scouting runs, Aoi could orient herself in the forest and she was fairly sure that the area Sakura's tree was in was still intact, but with all the colossal summons thrashing about, it was no longer safe to leave her there. "Sasuke, we should-"

She was interrupted by an orange blur crashing into their group. It was Naruto. Like everyone else he did his share of gaping ("What is it with the giant snakes, seriously! And who's that creep?") and rounded up on Sasuke. "Hey, bastard! Where's Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know," came the indifferent reply.

"What do you mean you don't know? You just left her?"

"I was fighting at the time."

"So was I!"

"Well you don't know where she is either, do you?"

"I saw her tied to a Hashi tree in that direction." Aoi pointed with her finger. Sasuke shot her a dubious look which she pretended to be oblivious to. "She seemed alright, but you shouldn't waste time."

"Thanks... uh..." Naruto squinted.

"Aoi."

His face brightened. "Thanks, Aoi-chan!" Turning back to the Uchiha, "I can't believe you did that, moron. Teammates are supposed to look out for each other..." The volume of their argument decreased as they left to retrieve their teammate. Well. That was one issue taken care of.

Except now she was left alone with Team Gai and Kiba, who still glared at her like he had found her burying his dog's corpse. The silence seemed to grow heavier every second, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a distant explosion. Aoi shifted uncomfortably. Perhaps it would be a good idea to leave.

A warm hand settled on her shoulder, breaking the hostile atmosphere. "Listen, I don't think stealing your allies' scrolls was youthful but..." Lee frowned, staring straight into her eyes. "You must have a good reason," he whispered (as much as Lee was capable of whispering, which was at about the same volume as anyone else would hold a normal conversation).

"Leave her, she doesn't deserve it." Neji's tone was cold and succinct.

"Thanks, Lee," Aoi smiled. Lee held her gaze for a long while. Finally he nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw, and squeezed her shoulder lightly before dropping his hand. They both returned to watch the S-Class ninja going at it.

The Hokage managed to hit Orochimaru with his monkey-turned-staff and sent him crashing into a tree so hard he went _through _it and slammed into the one behind it. All the Genin winced in unison. Orochimaru launched himself back up, fists coated in flames.

"How did your fight go?" she inquired, cocking her head at Kiba. That blood was nagging her.

"Shino and Shikamaru almost died. And everyone else is unconscious."

What. Aoi whirled towards him incredulously. That was not what she'd expected to hear. "What _happened_? And Hinata?" The single word was laced with alarm.

"She's fine. She's with them," he answered grudgingly. "We won, no thanks to you."

Hinata was fine. Her teammates and the rest were unconscious, but by the sounds of it not in immediate danger. Some of the tension left Aoi's shoulders, though there was still an issue. "You left Hinata _alone_," she stressed, "in a forest crawling with monsters and enemies, looking after a bunch of wounded people?"

"Not alone, Naruto was with..." he remembered how the blonde in question had just departed with Sasuke, and blanched. "Oh."

She almost punched him. _Rookies. _"If something's happened I'm pulling out your intestines. Which way?"

"You have no room to talk," Kiba growled, taking the lead back to their temporary camp, leaving a mildly concerned Team Gai behind. "You abandoned us when we were fighting a giant snake! And Shikamaru's group fought Jounin!" He looked back at her and narrowed his eyes. "That was your plan, wasn't it. To get us all killed."

"Why would I be going back to heal them now, then?"

They both stopped at the same time and stared at each other for a moment. He clenched and extended his fingers on the sides of his body, brimming with the leftover adrenalin from his kill. Then he breathed in, reining in his aggression. "Come on. We can resolve this later." She nodded. Kiba would get his -admittedly justified- revenge fight some other time. She really was worried about Hinata, and the thing he'd said about Jounin wasn't the least bit reassuring.

Aoi should have realized that the ninja posing as Orochimaru's teammates would be dangerous. She'd thrown Daichi and Aris and the rookies at them, thinking they would be strong enough to deal with what she perceived as a lesser threat. Guilt curled in her stomach. That was a very serious mistake.

_They didn't appear in the manga_, she mused. _That's why I didn't think they were important. _She needed teams eight and ten for their scrolls, but they would just have gotten in the way when she faced her father. So when she remembered the other members of the Grass team, she'd decided it could be the perfect excuse to keep the rookies occupied while she dealt with Orochimaru. She'd only seen them as minions, two faceless dummies, a convenient distraction so she could take care of her business unhindered. She hadn't realized they posed a legitimate threat on their own.

She couldn't afford such an oversight again. She was lucky this time hadn't resulted in total disaster.

_But_... she glanced back at the distant silhouette of the snake, still locked in battle with the moth. Despite everything, the Hokage and the ANBU were winning, and though there would probably be some casualties, they would be minimal compared to the number of deaths in the original invasion. She had succeeded. There was no going back to the original plot after what she'd done here. The waves would be huge.

She was so lost in her musings she almost missed Hinata's signature approaching them and veering to intercept them as they ran. The Hyuga's chakra was abnormally depleted - Aoi could barely sense a spark where it was usually a constant stream. Hinata landed on Kiba's branch and he caught her shoulder as if he expected her to fall at any second. She looked exhausted, but it was so reassuring to see her physically unharmed Aoi couldn't suppress a smile. "Hi, Hinata."

"Aoi-san," she panted, eyes welling up with tears. "Where were you? Everyone thought-"

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head mutely, but leaned more heavily on Kiba. "And you, K-Kiba-san! How could you leave Shino and I? W-we were - "

Kiba closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hinata, I didn't realize-" he stopped and slipped her arm around his shoulders to support her better. "Let's just go back. I'm sick of this exam."

"I can - I can run on my own," she protested.

Some of their teammates were conscious when they arrived to the clearing. Chouji and Ino were checking over Shikamaru, who still hadn't woken up, but by the lack of urgency in their movements Aoi guessed that his condition wasn't too terrible. In contrast, Aris and Daichi were bent over Shino, pressing bandages to his shoulder and nervously checking vitals.

Aris's head snapped up when he heard them arrive and his face relaxed, relieved. "Thank Kami. We thought you weren't going to come back in time." He hastily stood up to leave her a space. "You can fix him, right?"

Kiba and Hinata hovered over Aoi's shoulder as she knelt down and used the Diagnostic palm on Shino's wound. It was clogged with bugs, and the blood had a strange consistency to it.

"Aoi?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

There was poison. It was a poison she'd encountered before, which was why she was able to recognize it. It was the same type that had nearly killed Kakashi in the ambush in Hot Springs. That time, Kabuto had antivenom. Shino had only lasted this long because of his bugs - he had a single puncture wound and the bugs had formed clogs in his circulatory system to stop it from spreading through his vessels. But she could feel how the poison was starting to break down the walls of his veins and arteries and leaking into the surrounding tissue. And worst of all, it was getting inside his tenketsu and chakra system and spreading from there.

Soon the insects wouldn't be able stop it and Aoi didn't have an antidote. She started coaxing the decaying tissue into regenerating, but since Shino's raw chakra was poisoned it had the opposite effect, and she had to stop lest she accelerated the decay. The movement of the bugs was getting more and more frantic as the venom slipped between their ranks. "Don't let it through, I just need some time to figure it out," she muttered.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked. "You can heal him, right?"

"I'm trying to."

"Is there something we can do to help?"

"You can shut up."

She leaned back on her heels and rubbed the bridge of her nose, leaving smears of blood on either side. No antivenom. No regeneration. She leaned forwards again and made a ball of chakra in her hand, carefully threading it into the wound, towards the bugs. The kikaichu ate the healthy chakra up avidly and, newly strengthened, returned to clearing the poison. "There we go, come on," she mumbled while she fed them.

It wasn't enough. Even boosted by her chakra the insects couldn't clean out the toxin, only contain it. And Aoi couldn't keep feeding them indefinitely - she had enough chakra for ten minutes, maybe fifteen, and the fine manipulation was requiring all of her focus. She needed to find another way -

"All teams must clear the area through the nearest gate immediately."

All the conscious genin in the clearing, except for Aoi, turned towards the figure that had suddenly appeared in the middle of them. It was a male ANBU with a wolf mask and blood on the right side of his uniform.

"Are you a medic?" Aoi asked without looking up from her task.

"No. You must leave. This area isn't safe."

Aoi's shoulders tensed. "I'm staying until he's stable."

"There is no time." In the silence that followed everyone realized that, though the giant summons were safely on the other side of the forest, the sounds of people fighting were louder than before.

Kiba took a step forwards regardless. "We're not leaving our teammate behind!"

Aris looked at Ino and Chouji, who had finished bandaging Shikamaru and were just cleaning blood away now. "Do you think it's safe to move him?" he asked them.

Chouji glanced down uncertainly. "I think so."

"Then you should go."

They maneuvered him so they could support his weight and swiftly left. "Good luck," Ino called nervously behind her shoulder. "And thanks."

Aris took a deep breath. "Daichi -"

"I'm staying," the other boy interrupted.

Aris pursed his lips but didn't argue. The fighting was close enough that voices could be heard now. "How far away are they?" he asked Kiba and Hinata. "Are they getting closer?"

Hinata swallowed and, wincing, activated her Byakugan for only a second before switching it off. "Four hundred meters that way."

Akamaru barked. "They're moving in our direction," Kiba translated.

The ANBU, who had remained quiet until now, spoke up again. "You have to leave! It's an order. You'll all die if you get caught up in the fight." He turned towards where the sounds were coming from and drew a kunai in preparation.

"Can we move Shino?" Aris asked Aoi.

She shook her head, still fully concentrated on her patient. "No. He'll die if I put this on hold." She glanced up, wiping some sweat off her brow with her free hand. "Hinata, you should go."

"I won't."

The ANBU glanced towards Aoi for a moment. "It's his life against the life of all your other comrades. You should know the right choice, medic." Then he turned back around, making some handseals and slamming his palms down on the ground. A wall of earth rose up, just in time to stop a gale of wind that had been flying their way. "I won't be able to protect you once the enemy realises you're here."

Aoi did know the right choice. It was written in every single manual, emphasized in every lesson: the medic's safety and the safety of their uninjured comrades came first. Simple. She'd always known that if the situation ever arose, she would follow the guidelines, do the logical thing. That was the kind of person she was.

But the truth was that no amount of practice scenarios could have prepared her for the real thing and looking down at Shino - who was going to die because of _her _stupid need to meddle in his universe - suddenly it was so, so hard. Even though it should be easy. Even though between Hinata and Shino she would chose Hinata in a heartbeat - so why couldn't she do it now? "Aoi-chan?" Hinata asked quietly, fearfully. "Pl-please..."

Aoi withdrew her hands from the wound and stood up to face them, pale and ashamed. She opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. All she could see was the horror slowly growing in Hinata's eyes.

Aris looked at Shino's prone form before closing his eyes in resignation. "Let's go."

Hinata ignored him completely. "How can you," she snarled, betrayed tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She stalked past Aoi, jostling her shoulder, before falling to her knees next to her teammate. "I'm not leaving him, either way." She tenderly took his hand in hers just as a fireball slammed against the ANBU's wall, causing a crack to start spreading.

Aoi swallowed and placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I'll try to heal him," she promised. "But only if you leave." She glared at Kiba, Aris and Daichi. "Only if all of you leave."

"That's not fair," Daichi protested, fists clenched. "We're your teammates!"

Kiba took a look at Aoi's face, then down at Shino's rapidly paling one. "C-come on, Hinata," he urged, grabbing her arm.

"But," she clenched and unclenched her fingers, jaw tight. "You can't do this, Aoi!"

"I can." She sat down, just an armspan away from Shino. "Leave, or I won't touch him." She stayed completely still, even as her patient's poisoned blood started flowing freely again, pooling under his body.

"Hinata, do you want her to save Shino's life or not? Let's go!"

Frustrated tears rolled down Hinata's cheeks. Aoi smiled. "Don't worry. I'll do my best, I promise."

Kiba finally managed to pull her away from the clearing. Once they had disappeared into the forest, Aoi let out a long breath. Her hands twitched in Shino's direction, but she turned towards her teammates expectantly.

"We're not leaving you," Aris said firmly.

"Then I won't heal him."

"Then don't. We don't even know him. We don't care." He turned towards the ANBU's wall, that was shaking under the impact of successive shockwaves now. He slid into a defensive stance, ready to jump in between whatever was behind it and Aoi.

Daichi nodded and mimicked him. "You worry about your patient," he grinned. "Leave the rest to us."

Aoi sighed, half in exasperation and half in relief. She didn't want the rookies or her teammates to get caught up in the battle - she'd put them in enough danger as it was. She was glad she'd forced Hinata to leave. On the other hand, knowing that she had people who stuck with her no matter what she decided, whether she was wrong or right, it was almost surreal. It strengthened her determination. She swiped a strand of hair away from her eyes and placed her hands back over Shino's shoulder. _Alright, bugs, the quicker we do this the quicker we're out of here._

The ground trembled, and the wall crumbled.

As Aoi was wholly focused on her patient, she wasn't really keeping up with the fight. She looked up every few minutes to check that Aris and Daichi were still alive and deflecting the stray jutsu that occasionally flew towards her but beyond that she didn't know who was winning or losing. Once she looked up and in the same moment Orochimaru glanced at her. Their eyes met, but he was too busy fighting for his life to do anything.

In the meantime she was racking her brain, trying to find a solution to the poison. If Shino died, it would be entirely her fault - she just couldn't let it happen. She was running out of time. She could strengthen the bugs but they couldn't deal with it on their own, she had to find a way to help them.

Then her face cleared. "I got it!" She exclaimed, immediately setting to work. Shino would survive. In a couple of minutes he'd be stable and they'd be able to carry him away from there.

If she hadn't been so absorbed in what she was doing she might have sensed the person who approached her. She might have reacted in time. But she didn't, and so was taken completely off-guard when an arm looped around her neck from behind and squeezed.

In the first instants of surprise Aoi thrashed around, before training kicked in and she reached back with her hands to gain a hold of her attacker. But he was quick, and his movements were so _calculated_, as if he knew exactly what she was going to do before she thought it.

Aoi gasped and turned her head, trying to avoid him crushing her windpipe, but it was too late, she could already feel the blood accumulating up there with no way of going down and black spots dimming her vision. Whoever was holding her started dragging her away. She threw herself forwards, fingers reaching desperately for Shino's prone form.

_I had it, I had it, no -_

It was the last thing she saw before the black spots overtook her vision completely.

* * *

Daichi wiped his sleeve over his forehead, watching the trees twist and turn as if they were made of rubber. One of the branches heading for Orochimaru was suddenly diverted to the side, aiming straight for him. He flipped above it, slapping an explosive tag on it as it moved under him, and managed to detonate it before it reached Aoi. The branch exploded in a shower of splinters.

He recovered his stance, eyes on the fighting, tensely waiting for the next jutsu that would come flying their way.

The tree branches, which previously seemed to target Orochimaru, had switched sides and were attacking the ANBU instead. He traced the beams of wood to their origin, a figure standing atop a rock, hands locked in a seal.

"Aris, who's that?"

His partner turned around to look at where he was pointing. "The hell," he breathed.

"What?"

"That's the First Hokage."

"What?"

"That's the-"

"I heard you!"

Aris shook his head. "This is crazy." He caught sight of a shadow flickering in and out of existence out of the corner of his eye, slaughtering masked ninja left and right, and a bad feeling sank in his stomach. "That's the second Hokage." His eyes swept the battlefield, finding the Sandaime still locked in his fight with Orochimaru.

_Why are the first and second fighting with the bad guy? Why are they even alive? _Not for the first time, Aris felt like he was in way over his head. _No, there's no way something like that is possible. _A huge wooden structure bigger than the Hokage tower suddenly sprouted from the ground, trapping a number of ANBU inside.

This was it for him. They were leaving, whether Aoi wanted to or not.

He turned his head back and froze. The Aburame was still there, but Aoi wasn't. "Daichi!" He cried, whirling around just in time to spot a pale figure making off with their teammate.

Instantly the two boys were after him.

Whoever he was, he was fast. Even while carrying an unconscious person he managed to stay ahead of them. And he clearly knew the forest, perhaps even better than they did, if the way he headed to the nearest gate was any indication.

"It's the fishy guy," Daichi panted. "From the first phase."

Aris nodded in agreement. It was the pale guy with grey hair Aoi had pointed out before the written exam. Back then he had avoided their attack with ease, spending the least minimal energy, as if he knew exactly where it was going to land even though they had come at him from two sides.

"He's reaching the gate! Come on!"

Aris had always been faster. He left Daichi behind and started gaining ground, slowly and steadily, but he wasn't going to make it -

The ANBU stationed at the gate, thinking the pale guy was one of the Genin carrying a wounded teammate, lifted part of the barrier to let him through. Once outside, the guy smirked back and gave them a two fingered salute while he shifted Aoi's weight on his shoulder. Then he shuunshined away.

"Goddamit!" Aris swore, landing on the spot he had occupied just a second earlier. He followed the traces of shuunshin with his eyes, faint distortions in the air that lasted barely an instant, and took off in the new direction.

The trail abruptly ended in a back alley. He couldn't sense Aoi's chakra anywhere.

Daichi arrived a few seconds later, huffing and puffing. "I lost him," Aris growled through clenched teeth.

"Shit," Daichi bit out. He punched the wall, cracks spreading out under his fist.

* * *

Danzo paced back and forth in a nondescript room of his extensive underground base, one of his Yamanaka agents standing stiffly at his side. The agent didn't particularly resemble the members of his clan: tall with short ginger hair instead of the usual blonde, and startling amber eyes instead of green or blue. Like the rest of his clan, however, he only had a faint impression of a pupil in the iris, making his gaze hard to read and even intimidating to the observer. His original name was Fu, but that identity had long since been stripped away to be replaced by the number 58.

According to genetic testing done when he was born, 58's physical differences from the rest of his clan were due to an unusual genetic mutation. Coincidentally, this mutation also affected his ability with the mind-reading jutsu of his clan, turning him into nothing short of a prodigy; which was why he had been recruited into Root. Few people could withstand his particularly violent and destructive brand of mental invasion.

It was said that Inoichi Yamanaka could find out someone's deepest secrets just by looking into their eyes without the person even realizing. Personally Danzo thought that was an exaggeration, however it was true that the head of the clan was renowned for being delicate as well as powerful, sliding like water in the cracks of one's mind. By contrast, 58 had the subtlety of a sledgehammer, slamming into the victim's mind and forcibly tearing away whatever information he was looking for. It may not be as elegant but it was equally effective, not to mention faster.

He was the only Yamanaka agent currently under Danzo's command but that clan had always been immune to his brainwashing program and he counted himself lucky to have recruited one as gifted as Fu.

The invasion of Konoha by Orochimaru had been a long time in the works, and right when they were almost ready, there had been an information leak somewhere and the Hokage had been warned. Now all of Danzo's efforts had been jeopardized, all his calculations were useless. Perhaps the situation could still be salvaged if Orochimaru managed to kill Hiruzen, but some damage was already done. He had to find the leak and he needed to do it now, before it could throw any more wrenches in his plans. That was why he was currently in one of his secret bases with a mind reader, waiting impatiently for any news of the battle.

The agent currently infiltrated in the exam, dubbed Shin, shuunshined inside the room. He was carrying someone else with him, someone Danzo immediately recognized. Aoi Momoru.

His eyes shifted sharply to the agent. "Explain."

Shin dropped his load on the ground and went down to one knee. "I was following Sasuke Uchiha. He was engaged by Orochimaru, as you predicted. By your orders I didn't interfere."

He was interrupted by a coughing fit that shook his entire frame and ended in him spitting blood on the floor. Danzo patiently waited for him to regain his breath. "But she did," he continued, eventually. "It was as if she knew-" Another cough, thankfully shorter this time. "As if she had been informed beforehand. She summoned ANBU and took off with the Uchiha. I decided she was implicated in the information leak we are looking for. So I waited for the moment when her teammates were distracted and took her."

Danzo nodded. "Your performance was satisfactory, Shin. Return to tailing the Uchiha if you can. Observe but do not intervene." He turned to 58. "I want answers."

The Yamanaka nodded. He picked up the still unconscious Aoi and tied her to the chair set up in the middle of the room with chakra restrainers around her wrists, ankles and neck. He also injected her with a hefty dose of chakra thinner, just in case. At the sharp jab Aoi stirred and started to regain consciousness. She looked around, tugging fruitlessly on her restraints, before finally settling her glare on Danzo.

"You," she spat.

He nodded at 58, who slapped her hard across the face. "Address your elders with respect," Danzo said in the stinging silence. "I thought I taught you that."

Her fingers curled against the armrests like claws, her lips pulling back in a snarl. "I was about to - I could have - he'll die," the word came out strangled in her throat, "all because of you!"

Danzo didn't know what she was talking about and frankly he didn't care. He'd get his answers soon enough. He nodded at 58 again, who this time stepped in front of her and placed his fingers on her temples. "What am I looking for, sir?"

"That mission request form and Anonymous. Is she connected to him? How did she know about Orochimaru's infiltration?"

58 plunged in.

Aoi's mindscape was a strange place, a seemingly endless blue room stretching out in all directions. It was full of boxes, arranged in regular intervals like a grid and color-coded accordingly. Occasionally an odd object was found outside a box, a scroll or some notes or a kunai strewn about as if they hadn't been properly categorized yet. As far as mindscapes went, this one was fairly standard, if uncommonly organized.

The boxes were connected to each other with ropes that twisted and curled around them. 58 bent down to grab one; it was made of a strange, slippery black substance, almost organic. He tested its strength in his hands before unceremoniously snapping it in two and letting one of the ends drop. An almost imperceptible shiver ran through the mindscape at the travesty, but the agent paid it no mind. He wound the end of the wire around his arm and started following it to its origin.

The core of Aoi's mind was a giant black ball where all the ropes converged, twisting and shifting and curling around each other, connecting all the boxes like the center of a spiderweb or a nervous system. 58 reached for the black ball, but a hand shot out, stopping him. A young woman materialized between him and the core, her green eyes dark with hate. He punched her away indifferently and touched the black thing.

The upside of Aoi's mind being so organized was that he was able to quickly sift through the unimportant memories. They were clear and lucid even when she was an infant, how bizarre - an orphanage, Root, her time as a Genin, and he pulled and followed the wires to arrive at deeper things, things she kept tightly packed that she didn't want him to see. There were people which he didn't recognize, and secrets that nobody knew. He watched her bent over a table, writing something.

Within the memory, he was able to understand the language as Aoi understood it; but he had never seen anything similar to it before. Some sort of code?

No, he realized as he took in the faint thoughts accompanying the memory. It was a genuine language, but not from anywhere in the Elemental Nations. Or at least that was what Aoi believed. She wrote down the name Naruto. A date, _0 A.K., After the Kyubi_. _7 A.K., Uchiha Massacre_. _1 B.K, Kannabi Bridge. _

Back in the mindscape the green-eyed young woman from earlier picked herself up from the ground and, shooting another glare at 58, placed her own hands on the ball of black ropes. She closed her eyes in concentration. "My mind, Yamanaka," she whispered as she followed the black coils outwards.

58 lost his balance. The memory started becoming jumbled, disordered, letters bleeding into others and walls twisting until the agent was cut off and yanked along the cables to a completely different scene. There was the green-eyed girl, wearing a white lab coat walking around a... Was that a laboratory? She was chatting cheerfully with her friends, waiting for her sample to finish incubating.

58 tried to tear away from the memory, get back to Aoi, but the girl kept him there, locking him in. A machine beeped and she stopped her conversation to retrieve a small pink dish.

That was when 58 realised that there were two people sharing Aoi's mind.

Aoi was the fourteen-year-old ninja, practical, selfish and amoral. The other one was a seventeen-year-old civilian, friendly, intelligent and very loyal to her friends. Her name was Chris.

And Chris was fighting him, keeping him from Aoi's secrets.

He'd heard of this before. People with disorders like multiple personalities were a problem for the Yamanaka clan. A person's mind was built to have room for a single identity, a single individual. People like the Yamanaka could force their way inside, and the mind could usually withstand it for a short period of time. But when there were already two identities sharing the same mind - well, a third person just didn't fit, and the extra identity would push back against the intrusion, sometimes with enough force to kick the invader out.

Chris started fiercely flinging him from scene to scene, too fast for any of them to make sense. Amid the confusion he saw things he recognized and didn't recognize at the same time. Cars, speeding blurs of metal with people inside. A huge lecture theatre, a dissection, a basketball game. A meal with her friends. She was rattling him around and knocking him into walls.

He was forced into another memory, this one much more unpleasant then the rest. He watched as a building started to burn and she was trapped there, and even though she knew they were right outside and could probably hear her screaming, not one of them came back to help, and the pain, her lungs were _burning, fire all around me, please help me, don't leave me here, come back -_

_The pain climbed so high, became so intense, that Chris lost all capacity for rational thought and screamed like an animal. Only one thing permeated the mix of terror and agony: the certainty of death._

After what seemed like hours everything faded to black. 58 found himself gasping and sweating in a space of nothingness. Burning alive, with skin melting, muscles frying and one's body being carbonized was the most terrible thing he'd experienced so far in his life (including his forages in the minds of war prisoners and torture victims) but it wasn't what unsettled him. As a ninja, he was used to pain and death. What left him shaking was the terror, the hatred, and the intense feeling of betrayal that Chris had experienced in her final moments.

He looked up and she stood in front of him, with her white lab coat but her eyes no longer warm and friendly. They were a flat, hard green, slowly turning to yellow. Her hair darkened, slowly turning to black.

Slowly turning into Aoi.

"Out," she stated flatly.

58 found himself on the floor of the interrogation room, a triumphant prisoner smirking down at him.

* * *

_A.N.2: If you recall Sakura's fight with Ino in the preliminaries of the third round, you'll realize that I did not, in fact, pull that out of my ass._


	32. Aware

_A.N. Oops. My hand slipped._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Thirty-Two

_**[Aware**: having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.**]**_

* * *

_Hours earlier_

Shikaku had been instructed not to move until the wards around the Forest of Death fell. Logically, he knew that any more ninja in the forest would hinder the ANBU and create more chaos in which Orochimaru could escape - but he had half the mind to disregard orders anyway, given that both his team and his son's were still in there. The other Jounin hanging around the limits of the training ground were in a similar state. Asuma was virtually eating his cigarette.

To keep himself occupied, he directed the triage of Genin as they escaped the forest, steering them towards their Sensei, Ibiki or the medical team, depending on their allegiance and state of health.

Shikaku didn't know when exactly things started going south. He was still in control when Gai's team made it out. The news they brought were puzzling (an alliance among the Leaf Genin? Masterminded by Aoi no less? He could tell straightaway that there was more to it), but his intention to question them was forgotten when Shikamaru's team crossed the wards.

Shikaku's heart _lurched _in his chest when he saw the amount of blood. For a moment his mind derailed into an incoherent plea. Someone clamped down on his shoulder. He shook it off with a jolt of chakra, but instead of loosening, Choza's grip got tighter. Shikaku shot back a glare. "Let me go," he said quietly. The Akimichi stayed put, his mouth a grim line. In the next moment the medic team rushed past Shikaku, bustling around his son.

On Shikaku's other side, Inoichi stepped forwards. "How is he?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, but he'll recover."

Shikaku's breath left him all at once.

"I, um," Chouji spoke up. He and Ino were standing off to the side, looking pale. "I gave him a pill. To restore some blood. I hope I didn't make it worse."

Chouza smiled. "You did good, son."

Shikaku requested a report from Ino and Chouji while his son was carried away. They explained what had happened and - they had been a hairsbreadth away from facing Orochimaru himself, he realized with a jolt. "Who fought the last Grass nin?" he asked, already dreading the answer.

The two Genin exchanged glances. "Team Seven."

"And then Aoi went to help."

Both he and Kakashi stiffened. Shikaku's mind raced. Was Aoi Orochimaru's target? Or maybe the Jiinchuriki? "I don't need a fake," Kakashi whispered, touching his headband over his covered eye. Before Shikaku could ask what he meant - though he could already make a guess- Naruto's team burst through. All three of them were standing on their own feet, and Sasuke's eyes were still inside his sockets, which put Kakashi at ease.

Minutes passed, but his team was still nowhere in sight. Shikaku gathered the able-bodied Leaf Genin that had been standing around. As they each told their part of their story, a picture started forming - an ugly picture with Orochimaru's daughter in the middle of it. "I don't understand," Neji said, leaning his head on his hand. "Why did she take _all_ your scrolls? She only needed one."

"Maybe she just wanted to disqualify us all," Sakura proposed.

Ino shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. She left her teammates behind, too."

Shikaku met Kakashi's gaze above their heads. They knew what the Genin didn't - the scrolls summoned examiners. Had Aoi known too? If she had, then the whole alliance had only been a ploy to acquire more experienced backup - and there was only one reason why Aoi would want backup going into that forest: she'd known her father was going to be there.

That answered that, then. And raised a helluva lot other questions.

Hinata and Shiba were the next to come through. They both looked upset, and the Hyuga was dead on her feet. Kurenai shepherded them to the side so they could give their report without the other Genin crowding them.

The genjutsu specialist came to stand next to him a few minutes later. "I put Hinata to sleep," she said. "She was physically and mentally drained. Kiba is taking her back to her family's compound." Her red eyes were following the battle of the giant summons nervously. "Shino's still inside. He's been wounded. Your Genin is trying to heal him - she used his life as leverage to force Hinata and Kiba to leave."

Shikaku nodded, somewhat reassured. By the sound of it, no one he cared about had died yet. Given the situation they'd gotten tangled in, he wasn't asking for more. But when time passed and still neither his team nor Shino emerged, he began to worry.

Then the wards came down.

* * *

There were many things to be dealt with in the aftermath - including, but not limited to, a dead Sanin, zombies of the Shodaime and Nidaime walking around, his female Genin who was possibly Anonymous being kidnapped, a missing clan heir and foreign ninja that were demanding to know what would be done about the exam. The Hokage was apparently receiving emergency care in the hospital and unable to give orders, so it fell on Shikaku, as the highest-ranking ninja on the field, to make all the immediate decisions.

He didn't remember how Minato had bribed him into becoming Jounin Commander, but it couldn't have been worth it. Luckily ANBU took it upon themselves to clean up the Forest and increase the surveillance on the foreign shinobi in case anyone tried to leave suspiciously. So that was something he didn't need to worry about, at least.

He asked Anko to make an announcement about the second phase of the exam being put on hold. As the Chunin candidates and their teams gradually headed back to their homes or the accommodation that had been provided for them, he debriefed Daichi and Aris in more detail, since out of all the things that needed his attention, the Aoi situation was the most alarming. Whether she was Anonymous or not didn't matter; someone, apparently a Konoha shinobi, had kidnapped his troublesome medic, and that was not acceptable. "Take me to the place where they disappeared."

They were about to leave when a frog-masked ANBU interrupted to deliver a message from the Hokage; his presence was requested.

"Shikaku-sensei," Aris said, practically vibrating with anxiousness. "What do we do?"

Shikaku sighed and looked at the sky. If he left now, the trail would be cold by the time he came back. He eyed Aris. They'd played Rescue the Medic many times during training to prepare for this exact situation - but it sounded like the enemy was from within Konoha's ranks and far outclassed his boys in terms of skill. They wouldn't be able to do this alone.

At the same time, he couldn't just ignore the Hokage's summons; it might be important. But damn, the timing sure was crap. He eyed the ANBU speculatively, then turned towards Daichi and Aris.

"Listen closely. This is a Chunin-level mission. You're going to gather a team and look for Aoi." He made a hand seal and felt the drain as a huge chunk of his chakra was suddenly gone. "I'll leave a Kage Bunshin. I should be back soon, but there's no time to waste. Get to it."

It was all a show of course - when the boys scrammed it was the original Shikaku who went with them, and the clone who stayed. As soon as they were out of sight of the clone and the ANBU, he stopped them. "Slow down. I'm the original."

"Huh? But you said-"

"Clones are convenient but fragile. Hiruzen will understand."

"Why did you lie? For the ANBU?" Aris asked.

Shikaku nodded. "From what you told me, there are hostiles within Konoha's ranks. If people believe I'm too busy to search for Aoi myself it might give us an edge later." Before becoming a teacher he wouldn't have disclosed this kind of subterfuge to the ninja under his command. It was a reflex, he supposed; in the past year or so he'd grown used to explaining his actions so his students could follow and learn. It wasn't something he used to bother with, before. He ran his hand through his hair, his fingers tangling at the base of his ponytail. "Who were you thinking of recruiting?"

They looked at each other. "Team Eight were the trackers," Aris began. "But we don't know what happened to Shino, Kiba's busy looking for him, and Hinata's exhausted. We were going to get Neji, for the Byakugan. Then, I dunno, I was going to ask one of the Jounin for help."

"Good logic." He closed his eyes, focusing in the darkness for a moment, trying to determine the best way to go about this. "One of you go find Neji and Hatake Kakashi; he's a tracker and if I'm right he should be quite familiar with Aoi's signature. The other take me to the place where you lost her."

"This way," Daichi said, while Aris took off in another direction.

Shikaku grimaced to himself; what a mess. It was bad enough that his son had almost died in that forest - he didn't want anything happening to Aoi, too. Anonymous, Orochimaru's invasion, Aoi, the mysterious kidnapper; clearly they were all connected but the diagram was too incomplete for him to make sense of it. Could the kidnapper be one of Orochimaru's spies? How had he been able to infiltrate the exam so easily in the first place? And if the Sannin was dead, what would his followers want with his daughter? Shikaku had never truly established what kind of relationship Aoi and Orochimaru had - clearly they had _something, _but his gut told him it was antagonistic on Aoi's part, at least.

They arrived to a narrow alley that finished in a dead end. "We tried to find out if there was a genjutsu but-"

"Let me concentrate." Shikaku closed his eyes again. He stretched Yin chakra out, looking for the distortion in reality that gave away the presence of a genjutsu. But, like Daichi said, there was nothing. No patch in the weaving of the walls, no overlay. It was solid.

He ran his hand over the stone, sending some earth-natured chakra deeper. Then he crouched and did the same on the floor. While not a regular user of elemental ninjutsu, he was good enough with it that he would have sensed any significant blocks, mechanisms or structural abnormalities if they were close to the surface; but still, nothing.

"So Momoru was kidnapped," a bored drawl startled him out of his thoughts.

Shikaku glanced at a nervous Aris, an intrigued Kakashi and an indifferent Neji standing at the mouth of the alley. "Maa, this is a serious situation," Kakashi rebuked the Hyuga. "Can you see anything?"

Neji looked like he had a few things to say about the absent medic, but he behaved himself in the presence of two Jounin. The veins around his eyes bulged, while Kakashi ambled deeper into the alleyway and poked one of the walls. "There's something, about ten meters deep," Neji said.

"Can't you tell what it is?" asked Aris.

His eyes narrowed further. "It looks - weird. I can't-"

"It's because of the ward," said Kakashi. "I remember this place." Everybody turned towards him with various degrees of curiosity. The man's shoulders slumped, defeated. "Let's hope it hasn't changed," he mumbled. He bit his thumb as if for a summon ritual. Then he grabbed Daichi and smushed his bloody thumb on the boy's forehead.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Marking you." One by one, he repeated it for all the members of the group.

"What's this?" Shikaku asked when it was his turn.

Kakashi's eye creased. "You'll see. Okay, everyone, come stand over here, and get ready for a drop." Once the four of them were all standing in a circle around him, he made a seal of concentration, and the floor dropped from beneath Shikaku's feet. He had time to see his body phasing through the floor before darkness engulfed him.

He didn't lose consciousness for long enough to actually fall, so when he blinked the spots in his vision away he was still standing, although his head spun with disorientation. Headcount, everyone here, Genin were sprawled on the floor, but breathing, so check. Kakashi was crouching next to them, checking their pulse. Shikaku looked around, taking in the sterile gray walls and ceiling and the stale taste on his tongue. "Where the heck are we?" he demanded.

"I can't tell you." Kakashi straightened and nudged Aris with his foot, looking put out when he didn't budge.

"Goddammit Hatake, this isn't the time-"

"No, I meant, I literally couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I have a seal on my tongue. I would show it to you, but, well." He gestured to the covered half of his face. "Principles, you understand."

Shikaku frowned. As Jounin Commander, there were very few things above his level of clearance. Just one thing, really. This had to do with ANBU. A warded entrance to a secret corridor underneath the streets of Konoha? It couldn't be anything else, and it explained why Kakashi knew about it and was keyed to access the ward when he wasn't. The man had lived in ANBU for half his life. But then why had Aoi been-

Something tickled Shikaku's memory, something like understanding. "This seal," he said, "wouldn't happen to look like a rectangle of horizontal bars, would it?"

"You've seen it?"

"Yes." Kabuto - the medic-nin they had captured that worked for Orochimaru - had it too, and it had stopped him from talking as well. And suddenly everything made sense.

He felt like banging his head on the wall. "Let me guess," he groaned. "The people with that seal are part of a shady ANBU subdivision, the same one Aoi was also in before I became her Sensei that even the Sandaime wouldn't tell me about. They're the ones who kidnapped her."

"The last part seems likely," Kakashi said. It was a clever way of phrasing it so he wasn't actually confirming or denying anything, but the message was crystal clear: Shikaku was dead on.

Well. This changed things. Infiltrating the Chunin exam would have been no trouble for Orochimaru if he had spies in an ANBU division that was secret even by ANBU standards, but hang on a second, if there were traitors in ANBU, all the ramifications- gah, this was going to be all kinds of shit, wasn't it? He glanced down at the unconscious Genin. "What happened to them?"

Kakashi gestured to his mouth again. "I'm kind of limited in my answers here. Looks like you'll have to deduce, Shikaku-sama!" he declared cheerfully.

Shikaku was fairly sure the jutsu Kakashi had used earlier, with the blood, was meant to momentarily imprint your chakra signature over another person's. "My guess is whatever you used to bypass the wards worked for me because as a Yin specialist my signature is fainter than normal, or maybe because I have less than half of my chakra right now. It only worked partially for them, they got through but the wards knocked them out." Without waiting for a forcibly ambiguous reply from Kakashi, he threw Daichi over one shoulder and Aris over the other. "It doesn't matter anyway, we can't waste more time. Is there a safe place to put them?"

Kakashi picked Neji up. "I think there was a storage room somewhere - ah, there it is." He kicked a door open. Two teenagers looked up from a table strewn with papers, blank-faced. "Oops. Wrong room?"

The agents' eyes flickered to Kakashi's covered face and distinctive hair. In the next moment Kakashi had kicked one into the ceiling with enough force to crack the stone tiles and ran a kunai clean through the other's head.

The one on the ceiling dropped with a dead plomp.

Shikaku sighed and crouched to lay Aris and Daichi on the floor. Kakashi had just killed two ANBU, without even checking if they were hostile first. That meant the man probably considered the subdivision as a whole was hostile. Goddamn it. "One of us should stay here with the Genin," he said.

Kakashi had already put Neji down and was retrieving something from one of the corpses - a white mask with nothing but two eyeholes on it. "No problem. I'll find your medic."

Shikaku eyed him warily. He'd known Kakashi for a long time, and he was acting more blasé than usual - that could mean a number of things, but probably, he was angry about something and trying not to show it. "Are you sure?"

"It's your call, but I'm the tracker and the one who's somewhat familiar with the layout of this base." He placed the mask over his face. "Plus, I have some beef with these guys, actually."

He was about to reply when pain split his head in two.

_Shikaku followed the frog-masked ANBU to the Hokage tower. When he entered the Hokage's office, though, it wasn't Hiruzen waiting there. Behind the desk sat Shimura Danzo, with the two other crones of the Konoha council, Utatane and Mitokado, flanking him on either side._

_Shikaku blinked. He didn't usually deal with the Council. He knew who they were, of course, but he found them unpleasant, their role - to act as public advisers to the Hokage - superfluous, and in general, they were troublesome to deal with. He preferred to take his issues directly to the Hokage. "I was told the Hokage requested my presence. If this matter can wait, then one of my subordinates has been abducted-"_

_"This is of the outmost importance," Danzo interrupted. "As you know, through the Sandaime's efforts, Orochimaru has been defeated. Unfortunately, the... remains of the kinjutsu he used still haven't been banished. I'm talking about the walking corpses of the Shodaime and Nidaime," he clarified. "They appear to require no chakra from the original caster of the jutsu to sustain themselves. The Council has decided that, as Jounin Commander, it will be your responsibility to find a way to contain them."_

_What the hell? Was Danzo trying to do what he thought he was trying to do? "ANBU-"_

_"The shadow division is occupied in many other tasks that are just as important," Danzo said. "We understand that you are concerned for the safety of the Genin that took part in the exam, but we feel that protecting the citizens from a threat as dangerous as the two previous Kage comes first."_

_Shikaku's eyes narrowed. He _was_. He was purposefully wasting Shikaku's time - keeping him away from his search for Aoi. "With all due respect, Danzo-sama, the Council has no authority to issue these kinds of orders."_

_"The Hokage has unfortunately suffered many injuries in his fight against the snake Sannin," Danzo replied, unmovable. "He is in a coma that our medics can't wake him up from. As this is an emergency situation, the Council has assumed full control of Konoha's military forces until a temporary Hokage is chosen."_

Shikaku took a moment to reorient himself in the room with the two corpses and three unconscious bodies. Two and a half. Neji was waking up. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen; he must have taken his lack of reply as approval. If he strained his ears, Shikaku could hear the sound of chirping birds somewhere in the depths of the base.

He closed his eyes to process the memory the clone had given him. The pieces aligned. Danzo Shimura was a traitor. He was the one behind Aoi's abduction and whatever he wanted her for, he was doing his best to prevent Shikaku from looking for her.

Also, he controlled a fairly large faction of ANBU that probably played a role in Orochimaru's invasion and he was maybe planning to assassinate the Hokage in the next few minutes if he hadn't done it already. Actually, he must have figured out Aoi had warned them of part of the scheme and that was why he was keeping her.

"Troublesome," he said, more out of habit than anything else, since it really was too mild a word to describe this situation.

Disastrous, more like.


	33. Tense

_A.N: Thanks for your reviews and support! It really helped me get back into this thing._

_Many people asked why Kakashi had the seal. He was in Root for a short while when he was younger. No, this is not made up, he actually was._

_This is kinda more, hum, darkish than normal._

_Also, many thanks to Gladoo89 for edits in this chapter, and to Kyrie Twilight, whose insight was a huge help._

* * *

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter Thirty-Three

[**Tense**: 1. Stretched tight, made taut. 2. Feeling or showing nervousness 3. Marked by strain or uncertainty.]

* * *

Aoi slowly flexed and relaxed all her muscles. They were heavy and sluggish, like she'd been sitting in the same position for a long time. Surprisingly, a lot of her chakra had replenished, and it didn't feel as slippery as when she woke up in this room; the dose of thinners must be wearing off. That meant the mental battle with the Yamanaka had indeed taken hours.

Danzo wasn't in the room - it was just her and the agent, slowly getting up from the floor. He and the chair she was clamped to were the only two obstacles separating her from freedom. If she managed to overpower him, she could steal his uniform and hopefully sneak out unnoticed. But first she had to remove the restraints around her ankles, wrists and neck. They were full of chakra to strengthen them, she could feel it, so breaking them with brute force wouldn't be easy. But maybe with a thin enough scalpel she could try to find the mechanism to trip them open without forcing them.

Only one problem. While her control was returning, it was nowhere near enough for a chakra scalpel yet. She didn't know much about thinners except that they wore out slowly, so she guessed it'd be a while before she'd be able to try something that precise.

The agent had stood up and was now looking at her. Aoi gave him a grin. "So, since it looks like we're stuck here, mind telling me how the battle ended? Did the Hokage win?" Did Shino- she grit her teeth and grinned harder.

The agent ignored her, deep in thought. "Danzo-sama asked me to extract some information from you."

"Oh, yeah. You kind of failed, didn't you? Are you going to try again?" She hoped so. If she could find some way to incapacitate him instead of just throwing him out of her mind, then she'd have a lot more freedom and time to figure out the restraints. On another note, who would have guessed the life she'd spent as Chris was still so ingrained in her mind? She had ignored the memories for years, barely touched them except for those pertaining to the manga. In order to survive, she'd locked that part of herself away. Surprise. It turned out to be useful for something.

"How did you know about the invasion?"

"A magical fairy told me," she replied very seriously.

The agent blinked at her, then took a step closer. Aoi prepared herself for another dive, but instead of that, pain erupted on her forearm. She bit off a shriek and looked down, heart pounding. He'd stabbed a kunai into the armrest. Through her forearm. Blood welled up from the wound, sliding warmly down her arm and pooling on the floor.

"How did you know about the invasion?"

Her eyes snapped to his face, looming over her. His amber, pupil-less irises were hard, unfeeling. "I'm a medic, torture won't work on me." Already she was kneading chakra for the numbing jutsu.

His response was to grab another kunai and stab it through her foot. Aoi barked in pain. That was - _the dorsalis pedis artery, it supplies blood to the whole foot_ \- she numbed it quickly but the stream of blood continued uninterrupted. She couldn't _heal_ it while the goddamn kunai was still _in_ her foot. "Does Danzo know what you're doing?"

"I will not fail my mission," the Root drone said. "How did you know about the invasion?"

_Calm down. You only need to stall until you can make a scalpel. Shikaku must be looking for you by now - unless something happened to Aris and Daichi -_

Aoi forced herself to examine the wound on her arm, then look up at him. They'd had a few serious discussions about torture in the Academy; when it was meant to be used, how to react to it if you were the one it was used on, but it was all theoretical. Ironically, it was Root itself that had given Aoi the best preparation to deal with physical pain.

She swallowed. Pain was one thing, but if he - started cutting off fingers or -

Surely Danzo wouldn't allow her to be maimed. Of course even if she got out of here she'd never be able to speak of what had happened because of the tongue seal, but she was too valuable, right? Both on her own and because of her connections. He wouldn't do anything that would severely harm her.

No, Danzo wouldn't, but this guy... His eyes were impossible to read, and Aoi was aware of the consequences of failing missions in Root. _Just get him talking._ "How about a trade? You tell me what Danzo is up to, I'll tell you what you want to know."

"No." The Root reached into the pouch at his back for another kunai. This time he sank the weapon very slowly through the back of her hand, being especially deliberate in the way he severed the major chakra pathway between her second and third metacarpals. The chakra she'd been using for numbing slipped out of her control, following the blood.

This was getting worse. She needed at least one usable hand to make a scalpel - she could only achieve manipulation that fine through the palmar tenketsu. "You know," she said, refusing to break eye contact, "without actually going into my mind, you can't be sure that whatever I tell you is true."

"I have seen enough of your mind for this." The agent brought the words out slowly, tasting each one. He held up his hands between them, letting her see the seals he formed. Aoi's stomach sank with recognition. After the last one, he pointed one of his index fingers up, and a small flame burst from it, like a lighter's.

He let the small flame glow for a moment, its soft whoosh filling up the space between them. Aoi couldn't take her eyes off it. The unearthed memory was too recent, too raw. A shiver ran from her head to the tip of her toes, her fingers curling on the armrests of the chair.

"There are some things you won't be able to endure, Kurisu-san," he said in the ensuing silence. "This is one of them."

Slowly, he brought the fire closer to her face. Aoi tilted her jaw away from it, but the collar didn't allow much movement. Her breathing accelerated. She could feel the warmth now. Getting nervous, she numbed the entire left half of her face and neck, but still felt it, very clearly, when the flame licked the the skin of her jaw, just above the metal restraint. A panicked breath hissed between her teeth, her heart hammering against her ribs.

_It's just a burn. You'll heal it later-_

There was a fizzing sound. The beads of sweat on her skin near the flame were evaporating. A familiar, nauseating smell reached her nostrils, the smell of cooking meat.

The smell triggered a wave of fear that paralyzed her brain and Aoi lost her tremulous hold on her chakra. She was in the inferno again, choking on the vile stink of burning flesh and hair, watching how the skin in her arms blackened and peeled away, exposing pink muscle underneath that the fire licked at avidly. Her jaw seared with pain not again not again not again not again but she could feel her carbonized dermis crackling and parting as the agent started tracing a path up her cheek, curving it towards the center of her face, and the smell. Aoi made a strangled noise, clutching the chair so tightly one of her knuckles popped.

His finger continued rising and she could _see_ the flame now, feel the small pops and cracks in the skin beneath her eye. She squeezed her eyes shut, terror closing her throat. He let it burn just beneath her tear duct, next to the bridge of her nose, and she turned her face as much as she could, pressed her cheek back against the back of the chair, but it wasn't enough. A half-scream, half-sob escaped her lips. It hurt it hurt the pain wasn't stopping not this again please not again -

The agent removed the flame from her face and leaned back. Aoi kept her eyes shut, her breath coming in pants. The entire left half of her face was in agony. Swallowing, she regained shaky control over her chakra and numbed it once more.

"I'm going to get another dose of thinners," the agent said. "I hope you'll be more cooperative when I return."

She heard the door shut.

Still she didn't open her eyes, taking a minute to calm her breathing. She didn't have time to heal her cheek or any of the other injuries, she had to escape _now_. She concentrated, pooling chakra in her good hand.

She flexed her wrist so her palm was facing the restraint and extended a blade of chakra out, but it was too thick, it was still too _soon_, it wouldn't permeate into the metal. She opened her eyes. The left one was irritated, too blurry with tears to be of use. She closed it again, keeping only her right open, and shot a fearful glance at the door.

_Concentrate. You have to do it. You won't be able to take another round of - _She looked back at the shackle_. _Before she even started extending the chakra again, the door opened.

The Root agent slid his mask to the side, revealing his face. "Hello, Momoru." He shut the door quietly behind him.

"Shin?"

The boy gave her a sickly grin. "Hi." His voice was a crackle, almost a whisper.

Aoi was a jumble of emotions, anger, hatred, shock, and the tight grip of fear that still made it hard to think. He was the one who'd been in the exam, it was his fault Shino was probably dead and his fault she was here. If she were free, she would kill him.

But she wasn't and right now, she had to get away from this place. If there was one Root agent who might possibly sympathize enough - one capable of defying Danzo - even though he'd been the one who brought her here but she had to _try_ \- "Help me," she croaked.

"Sure."

Aoi gaped.

He walked closer, stared her in the eye. His cheeks were gaunt, there weren't so much circles under his eyes, but deep grooves, and his skin was pale and papery, his lips cracked. "But on one condition." She nodded, hardly able to believe her luck. "Heal me."

That wasn't what she'd expected, though. "Heal you?" she echoed.

"Kabuto was the only one able to keep my illness at bay, but he's been gone for too long, and I'm dying. I need more time. You're the only medic he trained personally."

The hatred was back, more potent than before. "_This_ is why-"

"Yes. I volunteered for the mission because I knew you'd be in the exam. I didn't even care if you were related to the leak or not, I was going to bring you anyway." He stared, his eyes tracing her left cheek. Aoi didn't know what the burn looked like - well, she could form a fairly accurate picture in her head - but Shin's expression didn't give anything away.

"So you could offer to free me in exchange for me healing you," she summarized, her voice trembling.

"You need me to get out. The layout has changed, and you don't know the exit points of the wards."

Slimy bastard. But there was no question, really. "The Yamanaka-"

"Already took care of him." He bent down to unstick the kunai from her foot, then did the same for the ones on her hand and arm. Aoi immediately started self-healing the wounds. She wouldn't be able to do her face until later - third-degree burns left a lot of dead tissue behind and if she tried to heal it before cleaning it off, it would definitely get infected.

Shin straightened and unsheathed a tanto from the scabbard strapped to his back. He concentrated, channeling chakra that shimmered over the blade. With three smooth swings, he cut her restraints away and stepped back.

Aoi stood up slowly, testing her injured foot. The temptation to beat Shin to death was nearly overwhelming, but the need to escape this nightmare was stronger. She limped past him and opened the door, looking to either side, still with her left eye closed. The corridor was empty, save for the body of the Yamanaka, slumped against a wall - his chest wasn't moving, but that didn't mean he was dead. Aoi suppressed a shiver and took the animal mask strapped to his belt. She also shrugged her green short-sleeved jacket off and replaced it with the black midriff one he was wearing, which was too big on her, but who cared.

When she was dressed she looked down at the agent. She remembered the reflection of the dancing flame in his pupil-less eyes, and something in her cracked. She kicked his face hard with her good leg, feeling his nose crunch under her foot and his neck snap. Now he was dead for sure.

_Take that, motherfucker._

Tears started sliding out of her right eye, too, but she quickly wiped them away. "Which way?" she asked Shin.

"Infirmary first."

Ten minutes later he was shirtless, sitting one one of the beds, while Aoi stood behind him with her hands on his shoulder blades. She could feel the contours of every bone without even needing to use the Diagnostic Palm, he was that thin. "What - happened to Shino, the - Aburame I was healing," she asked with false lightness.

Shin shrugged. "No idea. He's probably dead."

Aoi's hands stiffened on his back.

Her thumbs were near his neck. Shin simply waited.

Aoi's hands relaxed. She'd had enough violence for one day. He was already a dead man walking, anyway. After a few seconds, his body started jerking with coughs; by the time the fit ended, she had mastered her reaction.

"Kabuto said it had to do with the Fourth Gate," he informed once he could speak again. "It's built in a way that contaminates my chakra. It's spread to my lungs and liver now."

Aoi nodded, forcibly directing her attention to the issue. He could probably live on his liver for a few more months. His lungs were the problem. A dark web of decaying tissue mixed with putrid chakra spread all over them, taking up the space inside his alveoli and preventing the organ from filling with air. The few free spaces it hadn't reached yet were full of blood and pus. It was a miracle he was still alive, let alone could walk.

A transplant would give him the longest life. Maybe if they went back and got the Yamanaka's lungs - she didn't even suggest it. She'd never done transplants before, she'd take too long and she wanted out of this base _now_. But there was nothing anybody could do to restore the function of his lungs at this point, the web of dead tissue had extended too far. How the hell had Kabuto treated this?

Wait. If she... She wrapped the Yin chakra around the putrid web and then, carefully, delivered normal chakra to it.

The rejection was instantaneous. The chakra in the toxic construct reacted with her foreign unfiltered signature and the tissue broke down. Shin gasped, in pain or relief, she didn't know. She poured more chakra in, further freeing his airspace - but a large part of the healthy tissue had died, too. His lungs were basically hollow now - he had a really small surface area available for gas exchange. At most, she'd given him a few days.

He didn't need to know that. He was breathing more easily, albeit his face occasionally twisted in pain. "Thank you. How long?"

"A month, maybe," Aoi lied.

His features relaxed. "Good. That's good. I only need six days."

He might just make it after all, then. Not like she cared. "Take me out of here."

He nodded, putting his jacket back on. "Where do you want to go?"

Aoi was about to say "Anywhere" but her stomach _lurched_ in panic.

Danzo wasn't going to leave her alone. Not after she ruined his master plan to assassinate the Hokage. She hadn't _known_ he was involved in the invasion when she decided to interfere but that wouldn't matter to him. She was too valuable? Hah. He knew she had information and he was going to do his best to tear it out of her using whatever means necessary. Maybe he wouldn't even be interested in what she had to say - maybe he'd just want revenge. A phantom sensation of flames raced up her cheek despite the fact that she'd numbed it.

There should be antiseptic here, for her burn. "How did the battle end? What's going on outside?" she asked while she opened cupboards.

"The Hokage won, but he's in a coma. The Council is issuing orders temporarily." Shin was watching her, expressionless. "I'd get out of Konoha if I were you. Danzo-sama is going to come after you if you stay, but if you leave, he might be too busy dealing with other things to bother. I can take you to the southwestern exit, it's outside the walls." He paused. "The longer we take, the easier you'll be to follow."

She decided to stuff the bottles in her pockets to use later instead of wasting more time. There was a moment of hesitation. The memory of a campfire talk with Shikaku while her teammates slept. The taste of the tea that accompanied her talks with Hana. Sitting on a park bench, watching the sun set, eating ice-cream with Hinata.

The reflection of fire on hard amber eyes, the flames devouring the room and the beam that trapped her legs -

_Survive first. Make decisions later_. "Let's go."

* * *

The cloud of chakra smoke dissipated, revealing a small brown dog wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a blue jacket. As soon as he appeared, the dog started sneezing.

"Kid, I've told you to call me _before_ you attempt cooking. What did you try to make this time? It smells vile."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Sorry."

Pakkun twisted his head to the side to look behind Kakashi's leg. They were not in Kakashi's kitchen. There was a body lying on the floor, the woman's intestines spilling out of a cut spanning her front from her navel to her collarbone. She was still twitching. Down the corridor, another corpse lay face-down, a large blood stain on the wall above it. Kakashi himself reeked of blood, his arm completely red from the tip of his fingers to his shoulder, the side of his face and torso mottled with splatters. He also had a wound on his calf that he'd wrapped tightly with a bandage.

The pug frowned. "You alright? It's been ages since you got this carried away."

"Yes, I'm fine. But they're coming in groups of two or three now. So, if you would..."

Pakkun sniffed the air, grimacing at the stench of death. "Who're we looking for?"

"Do you remember Orochimaru? Well, like that, except fainter and more feminine. The trail gets too mixed up for me here."

"_More_ feminine?" Pakkun grumbled. He sniffed again. "Okay, got it." He trotted off.

They arrived in front of a door where the faint trail suddenly changed into a more potent, recent smell that continued down the corridor. More importantly, bloody right-footed footprints led away from the door, in the same direction as the stronger scent. Kakashi glanced at the limp body lying on the floor nearby. Curious, he pushed the door open.

It was a small, impersonal square room, empty save for a single chair in the center, nailed to the floor. There were pools of blood on the floor beneath the chair, some of it coating the armrests, where broken restraints dangled from. The smell of smoke and burnt flesh lingered in the air.

Kakashi's eye darkened.

"Doesn't look very fun," Pakkun said cautiously.

He ignored the small dog and crouched near the chair, reaching out with his clean hand to feel the blood between his fingers. Viscous near the edges, liquid in the center. This couldn't have happened more than an hour ago. Wordlessly, he straightened and left the room, quickening his pace.

He caught up to Aoi twenty minutes out of Konoha at his fastest tree-hopping speed. He would have caught her earlier, but _her_ top speed was fast, fast if she had been a Chunin even, and she showed no signs of slowing down, despite all the blood she'd lost back there. The footprints had faded a while ago, so at least she'd already healed the worst of it.

All in all, he wasn't very surprised when he was greeted by a shuriken falling on him from above, at an angle, that caught him in the shoulder. He grabbed the wire it was attached to just in time to conjure a stream of lightning that raced to meet the one already on its way. The two chakra clashed in the middle of the wire, causing a bright flash that slowly sputtered out, having cancelled each other out. "Calm down, it's me."

The wire tugged lightly. Kakashi extracted the shuriken and let it go, watching it fly back to where it came from, two trees away. Aoi dropped down from a higher branch to one that was on his level.

Rage sank in his stomach when he saw the prominent burn on her face. It started on the side of her neck, curved over her jaw and then meandered diagonally over her cheek until almost reaching the inner corner of her eye. The center of the burn was pink muscle, edged on either side with curled, blackened skin. He knew that burns took significantly longer to treat than cuts. She must have decided to leave it until she was far enough away from Konoha.

He forced a smile. "So... Root did that, huh."

She was watching him carefully, her stance guarded.

"Look, I know Konoha has... problems, but it's better than most places out there." _Really, kid?_ Pakkun's voice mocked in his head. _At least _try_ to be convincing. _"Becoming a missing-nin is a very bad idea, trust me." He should know, he'd spent a large part of his life hunting them.

"Can't you," she swallowed. "Just say you found me dead, or something."

Kakashi cocked his head. "Nope. Shikaku would kill me, kill my dogs and then set fire to my house."

"Okay, so, tell everybody I'm dead, except for Shikaku."

He eyed her burn again. It was difficult to make a case with that awful torture wound staring him in the face. He didn't even want to, really. "And what do I say to him?" he asked softly.

"That if I stayed Danzo would come after me for interfering in his plan to kill the Hokage. I have a lot of information and I promise I'll tell him eventually but it can't be," she swallowed again, "allowed to fall into Danzo's hands."

Trackers sometimes had to face controversial cases like these. He hated them. If it had been Naruto, Sakura or Sasuke and that manipulative, power-hungry bastard was after them, Kakashi would tell them to get the fuck out. Would Shikaku do it differently?

He hopped to her branch, ignoring the way she visibly tensed, and walked forwards until they were standing face to face. Moving slowly, so she'd see that he wasn't going to hurt her, he got out a flattened protein bar from the depths of his pockets and tapped her on the shoulder with it, smiling. "I'll see what I can do. Good luck, Aoi-chan."

She let out a relieved breath. "Thank you. I knew there was a reason you were my favorite character."

Kakashi blinked, surprised.

Aoi snatched the bar, jumped to the next branch and resumed her mad dash away from Konoha.

* * *

_A.N.: I, Zbluez, solemnly swear not to end the next chapter on a cliffhanger._

_Erm. So yeah. Thoughts? As always, what did you think was good, what did you think was bad, etc._


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